Paari

Do you want to experience happiness & gloom at the same time? Do you want to see an angel & a demon in the same form? Do you want to feel both satisfaction & dissatisfaction with your single decision? Do u want to feel stressed & de-stressed thinking about the same thing? If your answer is ‘yes’ to all these questions, then ………… buy a puppy.

I have been a dog-lover ever since childhood, but never had the opportunity to raise one, due to a lot of practical problems. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my wife turned out to be a dog enthusiast too & right from our marriage one of the most important topic that we talk about often would be that of raising a dog. We were aware of the negative implications in owning a dog & were not nursing any desire to buy a dog in the near future. Nevertheless, we were updating ourselves with different breeds, their behavior, temperament, friendliness etc constantly.

We browsed thru various sites & found that Labrador would suit us best, i.e, whenever we decide to buy one. Suddenly one day we came across the Boxer breed details & both of us were besotted by its look & temperament. We, infact, went to a breeder & saw some Boxer puppies, but did not have the courage to buy one. We were in touch with many breeders & constantly feeding ourselves with the latest information about different dogs.

One day, we saw a sale advertisement of Golden retriever puppies in free ads. We had heard a lot about Golden Retrievers, but had always thought that they may not suit an apartment lifestyle, as they have a lot of fur (heavy shedding would be there). Still, just out of curiosity, we decided to visit the breeder & see the puppies (We had never seen GR puppies before). We traveled almost 15 kms to meet the breeder & he took us to the puppy litter (9 of them). We saw them all & right at that moment the inevitable happened; we just fell in love with them. They were the most adorable creatures, looking like fur-balls & bouncing like tennis balls; fighting among them, trying to reach us & garner our attention. We liked them all but singled out a male puppy as our prospective pet. But still we were a little apprehensive & so left without committing anything to the breeder.

The whole day we spent in the internet reading about the Golden Retrievers. The more we read, the more we got convinced. They were the most popular breed in U.S for the last 10 years & their temperament has no parallels. For the next 24 hours, we were discussing the pros & cons of buying the puppy & we gradually got ourselves convinced about owning a dog. With a lot of encouragement from many reliable sources as well, we decided to buy the Golden Retriever puppy. All this without the knowledge of our parents, as they were a little wary about raising a dog. But we were confident that once the puppy comes home, he would be able to charm everyone & so we went ahead with our plan.

On a misty night, we traveled in our two-wheeler to a spot near parrys corner to buy the chosen puppy. Our puppy was waiting for us inside the breeder’s car & he was sound asleep. We paid the cash, got the puppy as well as a lot of advice from the seller & his accompanying friends. We were absolutely thrilled about buying our first puppy & we carried it home in a mid-sized carton box with a lot of holes in it for ventilation. Thus we treaded into an unfamiliar territory & we were both excited & nervous about our new venture.

My parents were totally shocked to see the puppy, but it was the puppy that seemed to be more upset than anybody. The new environment & the new people scared him & his body was literally shaking for one full day. My mother warmed up to the puppy first & it took a couple of days for my father to accept him. We named him ‘Paari’ after the famous Tamil king. The name has got us wide appreciation right from the vet to the kids in our block.

After the first few days, Paari became very comfortable with us. He, infact, became a little tsunami; wrecking havoc wherever he went. He was very mischievous & naughty to the point that I had to beat him (with a newspaper roll) often to control him. He was always hungry & can chew on anything. Our shoes, socks, belt, shirts, curtains, sofas, chairs, everything bore the brunt of Paari & he left his marks on almost all the items in the household. Monitoring him constantly & correcting him hundred times a day was taking the toll on all of us. Especially the toilet training aspect in a puppy is a torture (it still is). The whole house was his toilet & he would just excrete anywhere he wished. It took us a lot of time & energy to discipline him (to an extent). He kept us all on our toes thru’ out & it was like a nightmare for us during the initial few days.

However the biggest problem we faced with him was his biting. Right from day one, he was biting us & the breeder had cautioned us that he would be that way only for the first few months till his milk teeth are replaced with mature teeth. So we were prepared for it initially & were taking it easy. But with each day, his biting got sharper & few of his bites actually drew blood. I & my father had to vaccinate ourselves; although the vet had suggested that puppy bites are absolutely harmless. All our family members would be carrying his bite-marks & nail marks on their hands to this day.

It took almost 2 months for him to learn play-biting, i.e, soft biting. Still he behaves like a bully when he is charged up & his bounciness can cause some damage if you are careless. He has become more obedient now, although the mischief & playfulness are still a part of him. He still chews, still bites, still misbehaves; but everything has come to a bare minimum now. My wife & my father had played a big role in bringing up Paari so far & whatever he is today is mostly because of them.

Today at 105 days, he is just adorable. He is so good looking that he has so many fans inside our apartment & in our locality. When we take him out for walking, there are always few people waiting to meet him. His temperament is already remarkable & he gets along with people fabulously. He is a bundle of joy & playing with him for 10 minutes can really relax you. He is so funny & can make you laugh heartily with his various antics & gimmicks. He craves for our attention & always wants to please you with his various actions.

While naming Paari, my cousin was quite unhappy that we gave a dog the name of a great ruler, who is known for his generosity. But, who do you think deserves that name more than a dog, a creature that is so generous with its selfless love & boundless affection. Now, he is a part of our family & I cannot imagine our house without this guy. Going home has become more exciting for me nowadays, as you get to be greeted by a very warm chap, who treats you like a prince. He is very friendly with people & sometimes, his over-friendliness with strangers gets annoying for us - but that is Golden Retriever for you. It’s a poor watch dog, but an amazing family dog.

Having said all such things, Iam still a little skeptical & worried about raising Paari. Although he has learnt the basic manners & I have become more patient, yet I get to lose my temper with him sometimes. During such times, it takes a while for me to remember that he is still very much a puppy. Anyway, these are early days & we have a long way to go with him, but Iam absolutely confident that our Paari would be a wonderful companion to us for the next few years. Touch wood.