Teesta Review: A Journal of Poetry, Volume 5, Number 1. May 2022. ISSN: 2581-7094
The
Dog Who Loved Too Much
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| Image courtesy: animalchannel.co |
Forest Ranger
Utpal Dravid lived alone on the periphery of Bandipur Sanctuary. Sometimes life
became very lonely, and Utpal felt it would be good to find a pet on whom to
dote. He had heard from his friends that a dog belonging to the Police Dog
Squad was to be retired. So, Utpal drove down to Mysore to meet the dog
trainer.
“Samson is a
very intelligent and faithful dog,” said the trainer, “He is also my favourite,
and I hate to let him go. But sometime back on one of his assignments, he was
injured and is now left with a limp. Our squad dogs have to be perfect, and the
rules don’t permit us to keep him anymore.”
It was love at
first sight. Utpal couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful German Shepherd. He
was three feet tall and weighed forty-five kilograms. What’s more, he wore his
tawny coat like a monarch’s royal robe.
“He has been
well trained,” the trainer assured Utpal, “Be kind to him and he will love you
and protect you with his life. He is also obedient, and follows instructions
faithfully.”
Five years
down the line, the man and dog had become inseparable. Samson accompanied Utpal
into the forest when he went on duty. He learnt to recognize the growl of a
tiger or the trumpeting of elephants. He watched with interest how the herds of
deer scampered away at the sound of the approaching jeep. Oh, how he would have
loved to give chase! But Utpal had trained him to respect every animal and bird
in the forest.
“Boy, you’re a
great companion,” Utpal would whisper to him as he brushed Samson’s brown coat
until it shone.
The dog was
intelligent, over protective and could guage his master’s moods. When he was
sad, Samson’s wet snout would brush his cheek to cheer him up. When he thought
Utpal needed to be praised, he would thrust his paw out and shake his hand like
any gentleman would do. Utpal too learnt to recognize Samson’s ‘woof, woof’
whether hungry or playful or cautious.
One day as
they were getting ready to drive through the forest, Utpal’s loaded shotgun had
been kept on the back seat of his jeep. In his haste to be off, Samson had jumped
on to the back seat inadvertently setting the gun off.
“Ouch! Ouch!”
Utpal screamed, as a bullet shot through his left shoulder.
Samson was
panic stricken as he circled his moaning master.
“Call for
help,” Utpal cried in pain.
Then like a
bolt, Samson darted indoors to the telephone. He knocked the receiver off the
hook and tapped the red button that was connected to an emergency call number,
just as Utpal had trained him to do. When he heard a voice at the other end,
Samson kept on barking and whimpering.
“That’s
Samson’s bark,” thought the operator, “Utpal must be in trouble.”
The Sanctuary
ambulance arrived within ten minutes. Utpal had blacked out with pain while
Samson hovered around him not knowing what to do. The ambulance staff saw tears
in the dog’s eyes as they drove his master away.
But Samson was
not to be left behind. He raced after the ambulance and sat outside the
hospital until Utpal was discharged three days later.
“Don’t worry
so much Samson. I’m fine,” he said, looking into those large black eyes so full
of remorse, “It’s not your fault. I know it was an accident. Now come close and
let me give you a hug.”
Then one day a
few months later, Utpal picked up a stray kitten that had wandered into his
compound.
“Oh no,”
thought Samson, “I’m not going to share my master with this intruder.”
He sulked and
growled at the kitten until Utpal scolded and asked him to behave.
“Don’t be so
grumpy Samson. She’s a darling little Snowball. You must learn to play with her.
When she’s old enough she’ll rid this compound of rats.”
Snowball was a
little terror. She loved to come dashing into Samson’s front legs when he was
least expecting it, and make him stumble. Sometimes she would spring on his
back just when he had settled down to his siesta. Because of his massive frame,
he was always afraid of hurting the kitten. So, he usually dismissed her with a
sullen grunt. But Utpal was sure that when he was not looking, Samson would
threaten to pounce on Snowball or nip her tail. Every time there were bad vibes
between them, Snowball would scurry up to him and hide in his lap.
One day
something unusual happened. A hawk hiding in the treetops suddenly swooped down,
intent on carrying away little Snowball. Even before Utpal could get up from
his seat, the hawk dove at the kitten. Suddenly like a flash of lightening,
Samson with hackles raised, came charging towards Snowball, and placed himself
between the hawk and the kitten. The hawk ripped Samson’s cheek with her
talons, but his heavy paw knocked the bird off. He would have probably chewed
off her head had the terrified bird not fled.
Since then,
things changed between Samson and Snowball. They grew so attached to each other
that Utpal felt a wee bit jealous.
“Am I the odd
one out now?” he wondered.
But Samson was
by his side. “Don’t you know that three’s better company than two?” he seemed
to ask, as he pressed his wet snout reassuringly against Utpal’s cheek.
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