Safegaurding Your Pets Against Air Pollution Vol XII , Issue No 12 , Dec 2019 | Page 11

To live and love, we desperately need
to focus on our present rather than
worry about the future or carry the
baggage of the past - distant or near. A
dog, I have seen through my personal
experience, teaches us what it means
to embrace the present and enjoy the
little things that we get in life. One
day, for example, I felt like buying
something for Shampy. I bought
him a small ball which just made
some weird noises. When he saw it,
he loved it so much that he was up
playing with it the entire night. Like
a child, he became so happy having
that simple toy that we as humans
wouldn’t look at twice. All he had in
his eyes was the shine and spark of
true innocence that we forget as we
become experienced adults. We need
to love and value the small things
which we have in our lives; live in
the moment of innocence and hope
to retain it throughout our lives as
Shampy does. One of the ways to do
this is to always be grateful - for the
lives we have, for the present that we
are in, and for the companions we
have. Our pets show this simplicity
in gratitude. From their happiness
at the tiniest things to their constant
concern about our well-being, our
pets become more human and
humane than we are.
But it is not only in the interaction
with their humans that our pets
show us the fi ner aspects of life.
Our pets, much like us humans, are
social creatures and don’t tend to
survive well in solitude. In fact, they
love attention at all times and will
do anything for their owner’s praise
and love. Being alone can, at times,
be quite stressful for them. But, more
often than not, they learn to be self-
suffi cient as well. A lot of pets use
their alone time to take a nap or
engage in other favourite activities
such as playing with toys, digging,
chasing birds and so on. On normal
days, for example, when I enter my
house, Shampy comes running to
me and all he wants is my undivided
attention. But then, there are days
when he is so busy with himself
that he doesn’t even seem to care
about what is happening around
him. All that interests him are his
toys, chewing bones, sleeping, and
sitting outside the house to look at
the birds, people, and cars passing by.
This self-suffi ciency which Shampy
displays goes a long way to tell me
that regular time alone is important
for us humans as well. It puts things
into perspective, relieves our stress,
and ushers us towards happiness
through personal satisfaction.
In fact, such an inculcation of
perspective can be seen (and learnt)
through the mimicking of our pets
into understanding priorities. Pets
always give fi rst priority to their
humans rather than someone else.
When I return home from work after
having a tiring or an awful day, as
soon as the gate opens, my dog
leaves whatever he is doing, and
runs towards me to greet me (except
the few times he doesn’t because he
prioritises his peace fi rst). His sloppy
kisses and furry warmth make my
day much better, and I often forget
how bad my day has been.
Such prioritisations, to us or to others
as the case may be, allow us to forge
stronger human bonds. Knowing and
expressing our feelings by giving
priority to someone else makes them
happy. This, in turn, is bound to make
us happy; especially because human
relationships are always tough. It
is easy to advice others that they
should forgive and let go of things
bygone. But when it comes to us, it is
equally diffi cult to follow these pearls
of wisdom.
We experience setbacks, have
missteps, broken promises, or
shattered relationships that cause
us to lose faith in other people. This
loss in faith lingers on even when we
don’t want it to. Animals, on the other
hand, are the more forgiving beings.
Sometimes when things are not going
right in our lives, we are frustrated
and we end up yelling at our pets. But
when we realise that we mistreated
them, and go back to pet them they
meet you with the same enthusiasm,
same love and care that they would
have otherwise. No matter what kind
of treatment our animal companions
experience, they don’t hang on to the
past, hold a grudge or complain about
it. Letting go of things is important in
life. Sometimes it is better to move on
than being stubborn about it.
Obviously, this moving on is not
easy. We humans are, after all,
creatures that remember our pasts,
our relationships, and our lives that
have been. But, we have to remember
that the attainment of happiness is
always in opposition to an encounter
with loss. This, fundamentally, is
what my relationship with both Euro
and Shampy has taught me. Our pets
will, more often than not, die before
us. This loss is, undoubtedly, heart
breaking. But, to come to terms with
death is a necessary facet of living a
life; for life and death work together in
tandem. We cannot be bogged down
by loss, for life can only be found in
moving ahead. In bringing Shampy
home and having spent 6 years with
him, I have defi nitely learnt that we
need to move on.
* Author is a passionate pet parent and animal
lover.
December 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 12 • Noida
11
| Creature Companion