It has been quite a while since I last talked about my dogs. I have in fact so many things to talk about them that I do not know where to begin.

I had discussed it in the past that my dogs, especially Chhote, the younger one would run away from the home. Sometimes Bhhole, the senior of the two , would also run behind Chhote, mainly to accompany him.

Once they ran away, their human master/ mistresses were required to go after them and catch them. Bhhole was easier to catch. If one caught Bhhole then Chhote too would come back and would allow himself to be caught after playing hard to get.

It was obvious that the dogs wanted to go out of the house daily. The normal way for the pet dogs to go out is when their owners take them out for walk, with the dogs duly tied up on a leash. But taking the dogs out regularly was a gruelling task and neither my wife nor daughter were up to it. And moreover, it was not possible for one person to take both dogs out simultaneously. The dogs were far too powerful for them, despite the dogs weighing only around 20 Kg each against 40 + and 50+ Kg weights of my daughter and wife respectively.

With the two dogs growing up to be two years old each, they began to give a hard time to my wife and daughter because of their eagerness to go out. Bhhole in fact began to request my wife to let him go out. He would stand on his rear legs and support his front limbs against my wife and request to be let out. After a few days, my wife relented and allowed him to go out on his own. Soon Chhote too was allowed to go out on his own. But the dogs normally would not come back on their own. They would have to be called back.

One day, Chhote for some reason attacked a goat which was passing nearby. Perhaps Chhote took offence to the fact that the goat was passing through his area which he and Bhhole had made their own by chasing out the local street dogs. As could be expected, Chhote’s attack on the goat did not go down well with the goat’s owner. My wife began to worry about the safety of Chhote. She decided that Chhote should be sent away. After lots of thoughts, it was decided that Chhote should stay with me. Since Bhhole cannot stay without Chhote, so it meant that Bhhole too must accompany him. So in effect, Chhote and Bhhole (the later for no fault of his) were externed out of the state of MP and were exiled to Chhattisgarh. So the two dogs are staying with me since december 2012.

My place is surrounded by high brick walls in the front and by asbestos sheets in the rear. Though the area within the boundary is quite spacious, the dogs soon became bored and they insisted on being taken out of the compound for walk. Since taking both of them out simultaneously was a tough job, I would take only one of them with me, and the other dog would be left protesting.

One day I found both dogs missing from the compound. It became clear to me that the dogs had discovered some breach in the asbestos sheet walls in the rear and they had slipped away. It was a vast colony outside the walls and I was worried that the two dogs would go far and will be unable to find their way back. I went out (from the front gate, of course), and searched for the dogs. I found them roaming around almost half a kilometer away. With great difficulty I managed to catch the two dogs by their collars and brought them home.

Next morning, when I let them out of the home and let them move around inside the compound, I found the two dogs racing towards the rear. I quickly followed them. I ordered them to go back to the front. Bhhole obeyed me but Chhote vanished into the tall vegetation. I realised what had happened. Chhote had escaped out through the same breach that he had discovered one day ago.

I tied Bhhole up and went out (through the main gate, and not through the tiny breach in the rear, of course) with Bhhole. After hearing the sound of dogfight, I went there with Bhhole. I could see a dog chasing Chhote. When Chhote saw us, he regarded us as his reinforcements and began to chase that dog instead. The dog too thought the same way and beat a retreat. When I called Chhote out, he would not listen. He kept racing away and away. He went inside a club and then out of it, then went to a school and out of it, and then into an office and out of it, and raced towards the road leading to the nearby market place. He would have continued to run ahead, but then he noticed a tiny while Pomerian dog on a walk with its owner. He approched the pooch, unnerving the dog as well as his owner. Chhote meant no harm, he was only taking a close look at a dog of his own colour. I requested the dog owner to stand still so that I may be able to catch hold of Chhote. The man helped and after one failed attempt, I managed to grab Chhote’s collar belt and I tied up a leash on his collar that I had brought with me. With two dogs tied up on two leashes, I began to return back, pleased with myself. At that time Chhote played his special trick. He slipped his head out of the collar and escaped, and I was left holding the leash and the collar belt in my hand. He ran in a different direction, viz towards the railway station. I gave up on him and began to go back with Bhhole towards the home. After some time I found Chhote running towards us and going past us. I told myself and Bhhole not to take any notice of him.

I, alongwith Bhhole went back home. I phoned my wife and told her about the happenings. She told me that he would come back after a few hours when he felt hungry. I was not sure, because Chhote did not seem to confine himself to nearby areas. He may have found out the way to go out, but does he know the return way to come in ? I did not think so.

It was at about 12-30 in the afternoon when I Heard Bhhole give a special bark. This bark indicates that someone familiar is outside. I looked out and what do I see ! It was Chhote, standing outside, dirtied upto this stomach in muck. When I opened the door, he raced in. I closed the door and phoned my wife for further instructions. Bathe him, and then tie him up. Make sure that he is punished for his act. I was told. I bathed him as instructed and soon he began to look white. I tied him up while Bhhole was moving around freely.

Next day (saturday), I kept Chhote tied up while Bhhole was allowed to roam around free as a reward for his faithfulness and obedience in not escaping. I went inside the home. A brief while later, I came out and what did I find ? This time it was Bhhole who had vanished from the compound !

Chhote had come back somehow, but what about Bhhole ? Can he find his way back, I worried. In the afternoon, I heard Chhote getting restless in a special way. I went out to have a look. I found that Bhhole was back ! Dirtied up to his stomach in muck. Like I had done with Chhote the previous day, I bathed Bhhole till he began to look clean again. This time I tied up both of them.

Next day (sunday), I thought that the two dogs must have learnt their lesson and they would not escape again. So I set them free. As soon as I did that, Chhote raced towards the rear , followed by Bhhole and both of them escaped out of the compound.

This time I became angry at this disobedience. I decided that I did not want to have anything to do with such dogs. The whole day passed and it became night. It was 10 PM at night when I heard the familiar noises. I had locked the main door and had decided to keep the dogs waiting. Chhote called out, asking to be let in. I did not respond for half an hour. Seeing Chhote’s charms not working, Bhhhole, who was silent till then, began to bark softly to urge me to let them in. I did not respond. By about 11 PM, the voices of the dogs began to betray nervousness. What would we do if we we were not allowed in- that kind of nervousness. Soft that I am , I let the dogs in, but only till the first room. I did not allow them to come to the bed room or the hall. As it is, they like to sleep in the same room with me, so not allowing them to sleep in the same room was a punishment for them and they realised it.

By next morning, they were quite hungry but this time I was determined to teach them a lesson. I did not allow them to come inside but opened the main door of the house. After some time, when I went out, I found the dogs missing ! They had once again escaped- while they were still quite hungry. Was I a bit too harsh on them, I wondered.

It was a working day, being monday. So I left for the office with an empty feeling because both dogs were missing and I was not sure that they would come back again.

When I came back at lunch time, what did I see ! I found Bhhole waiting for me inside the compound. But where is Chhote ? Chhote was nowhere to be found. I was worried. Bhhole, who in the past had gone out of his way to protect Chhote had come back without him. Was there someting wrong ! I phoned my wife. She worried that Chhote must have met the normal fate of Indian dogs, viz he must have been crushed under some vehicle and that is the reason Bhhole had come back alone. Was Bhhole looking sad, she asked me. No, he did not look sad when he saw me, though he had become subdued in the evening.

Chhote did not come back by night. He did not come back by next morning either. While I was coming back home at lunch time, I decided to go have a look for him in the nearby roads. But I could not see him.

I became more and more worried. Only if I could get Bhhole to tell me about Chhote’s whereabouts.

Since Bhhole would not talk, I decided to read about dogs on internet to find out what may have happened. I was interested to find about the behaviour of dogs towards their companion dogs. I read that a Siberian dog, on finding his companion dog run over by a vehicle had dragged the body of his dead companion to the pavement and he would protect the body for several days, trying to wake him up. That gave me some hope. But I could not find an explanation why Bhhole may have abandoned Chhote.

While reading up about dogs, I read that dogs were required to be commanded rather than treated with affection. A dog which looked happy when his owners came home was in fact a disturbed dog whose dancing around his owner was in fact giving vent to his frustation. I also found that human being must exercise dominance over dogs and become their leader. Otherwise the dog assumed leadership of the humans around him. As a leader, he worries about protecting his followers. When human beings are not around him, the leader dog gets disturbed because he is in no position to protect the humans. When such dogs are taken out on walk, they walk ahead of the humans dragging them with them. On the other hand, well adjusted dogs walk behind (or adjacent to) the humans.

I hung my head in shame on reading all this. It was obvious that we had brought up the two dogs in the worst possible manner. No wonder the two dogs were so disturbed and they were looking to run away all the time, I concluded.

My wife and daughter began to blame me for the demise of Chhote.

On the night of tuesday, I heard Bhhole give his special bark. I eagerly went out, and I found Chhote there ! I eagerly let him in and phoned my wife giving her this news.

I finally managed to locate the breach from where the dogs were escaping and I plugged that breach by putting heavy bricks, branches etc there. Then I allowed them to roam free. Soon I heard the sound of bricks being removed. I ran out to the place and found that Chhote had removed all the heavy bricks etc in no time and he was ready to escape once again. Seeing me, he was unable to escape. I tied him up.

No matter how much I tried, I found that Chhote could not be dissuaded from his tendency to run away. I plugged that breach more securely, but one fine day I found the two dogs missing once again. They had escaped once again, and this time from a different breach in the wall which were opened up by them, I suspected.

I gave up on them and I stopped looking for them. Let them live like stray dogs if they so desire, I thought. Bhhole came back after two days. Chhote was missing and there was no sign of him. He did not come for six days and this time my wife once again began to blame me for the demise of Chhote.

After six days, Bhhole became restless at night and insisted on being let out of the home. He ran out towards the escape route. As soon as he ran out, I found a hungry and weak looking Chhote limp in from the other direction ! Half an hour later, Bhhole too arrived back and was pleased to see Chhote.

After all this running away and coming back, now I have entered into an informal arrangement with the dogs. I feed then well and allow them to go out through their secret escape route. I have let that route remain unplugged. The dogs carry out their walks outside and then they come back. When it is time for me to go to office, I tie them up inside the house. They are game for being tied up, because they know that I would set them free and allow them to go out after I come back.

So my dogs go out on their morning and evening and also noon walk on their own and come back too. That saves me the trouble of taking them out on their walk. That way my dogs have the best of both the worlds. They enjoy the privileges of being pets and they also get to roam around freely like street dogs.

I have become a good dog chef. The dogs love the stuff I feed them. I find that they love eating all the stuff that humans love, irrespective of what the dog experts say. The dogs love eating slice bread, poori, samosa, jalebi etc in addition to their usual stuff. My milkman is happy because I take twice the normal amount of milk from him. I have realised that the two dogs get to drink almost the entire quantity of milk. Imagine the two dogs drinking half a litre milk each daily ! In fact these dogs do not drink water. They take fluids mainly in the form of milk and their favourite soup.

What job do they do while they stay with me ? I tried to train them to bring newspaper that is thrown by the newspaperman inside the compound. Initially Bhhole would bring the Hindi newspaper in and leave the English newspaper untouched. But after a few days he decided that being a newspaper delivery dog was not for him. In fact he would not let Chhote to take up the job either. He pulls the rear leg of Chhote and brings him down if Chhote offers to bring the newspaper home. So in effect the dogs are no good in this job.

Bhhole barks fiercely whenever some visitor enters the compound. He has been barking at the milkman for the last two months, but now he seems to have realised that the milkman is no intruder.

I called one vet to my home to give the dogs their vacceines. At that time I had tied the two dogs up to some poles. Bhhole barked at the vet fiercely, making the vet nervous. He had to give Bhhole an injection that is painful to dogs. I restrained Bhhole while I held him. Bhhole did not even wince while being injected and the vet was quite impressed with Bhhole for that.

I was troubled by mice when I stayed alone. The problem would be over whenever I had my pets stay with me. In the past it was the cat nuppy who would take care of the mice. Now the two dogs have taken this responsibility for killing the mice upon themselves. I am ofter woken up late at night when I find the two dogs disturbing the furniture looking for the mouse. I assist them by moving the furniture and the two dogs grab the mouse as soon as the mouse gets exposed to them.

Both dogs have their own unique mannerisms. Bhhole likes to walk around while grabbing a chew bone in the corner of his mouth, much like how a Clint Eastwood or Sherlock Holmes or Rajnikant would grab a cigarrette in the mouth.

Leaving the dogs alone if I have to go out for a day or more is a problem. The dogs feel insecure when they do not see me. Now a days I leave the dogs in the open if I have to go out for upto a day. They have stayed out for upto two days (in case of Bholey) and six days (in case of Chhote) but my guess is that they miss the comforts of home badly. Where will they get to eat regularly and get to sleep inside the house anywhere they feel like. If I have to go out for one day then I let the dogs out of the house within the compound. They go out of the compound and come back as they please.

Recently I had to go out for nearly a week. And I was worried about the dogs. My wife took leave and came alongwith our daughter (whose school was in any case closed for winter vaction) and they took care of the dogs. The dogs ran away from the house even then. They found out that the dogs had struck friendship with a pair of dogs that lived nearby and they were usually seen in their company. While going there to bring them back, my wife and daughter found four abandoned pups and brought all of them home. Two out of these four malnourished and ordinary looking pups opted to stay inside the compound while the other two went out of the compound and went back where they were found.

While going to my office, I would leave the two pup free inside the compound whereas Chhote and Bhhole were kept tied up. We had decided that we would bring up these pups as dogs as prescribed in the materials on dogs that I had read, instead of spoiling them like Chhote. I found that kids staying in the neighbourhood perstered the pups while I was away. They would tie rope around the pups’ neck, for instance, which I then had to untie or cut with a scissor. Finding the two pups greet me when I came hope was a great and priceless experience.

One evening I found only one pup greet me instead of two. I wondered what had happened to the other pup. Unlike Chhote who had come back after six days, this missing pup never came back. I hope that the pup was taken away by the neighbourbood kids (as hoped by my wife) and hopefully he did not meet any unfortunate end. I found that the single pup was feeling lonely. The two pups gave each other company while I was keeping the two pups outside the home. I began to keep the pup inside the home (in the front room) so that he may not feel lonely.

The pup has been named as Kabra Singh, since it is “Chitkabra” in colour, viz predominantly white with brown patches. He tries to play with the two dogs. Bhhole plays with Kabra Singh. Chhote, who kept his distance for some time has begun to warm up to him as well. Unlike the grown up dogs, Kabra Singh mostly stays within the compound. I found a rope tied up on his neck when I came home one night. From then onwards I have decided to keep him inside the home alongwith the two bigger dogs. Once I kept the dogs outside the home within the compound while I went to the office. Om my return at lunch time, I found that Chhote was not there whereas Bhhole and Kabra Singh were together inside the compound. With Bhhole guarding Kabra Singh, no child or for that matter even their “Baap” could touch Kabra Singh, of course.

Of late Chhote too has warmed up to Kabra Singh. I find it interesting to see Bhhole and Chhote teaching Kabra Singh the tricks of dogfight. Chhote teaches him how to grab the neck of the opponent while Bhhole teaches him how to pull the opponent down by pulling his rear legs. Kabra Singh tries these tricks on his gurus themselves and his gurus play along.

Chhote likes to sit on chair. Kabra Singh has begun to ape him and these days he sits on a small stool in Chhote style and looks at me in shifty eyed manner, just like Chhote.

Recently, I had to leave the dogs behind for 36 hours while I went out for an urgent work. I left at night and kept the dogs outside the home. While I was going out of the compound through the main gate, Chhote too slipped out. He began to wander around. He saw a big black dog sleeping. Chhote went to that dog, woke him up and began to fight with him. Another big dog joined his colleague. Much to my surprise, Chhote fought off both the dogs and forced them both to run away. I grabbed Chhote by his collar and brought him back to the home and sent him back inside the compound.

36 hours later, when I arrived back early morning, I found Bhhole and Chhote wandering on the road near the home. Finding me back, they came to me. I took them inside the home and fed them. Kabra Singh, who had taken shelter in the garage, too joined and they got to eat again after 36 hours.

I was looking for a song appropriate for the occasion. I think that the song “Jaa jaldi bhaag ja” from “Deshpremi” (1982) suits the situation quite nicely. Here is this cute light hearted and comical song from this movie. This song is sung by Kishore Kumar and Amit Kumar. It is picturised on Amitabh Bachchan and Navin Nischol. Anand Bakshi is the lyricist. Music is composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Audio

Video

Song-Jaa jaldi bhaag jaa nahin baba nahin (Deshpremee)(1982) Singers-Kishore Kumar, Amit Kumar, Lyrics-Anand Bakshi, MD- Laxmikant Pyarelal

Lyrics

Oopar se main sakht hoon
andar se naram hoon
oopar se main sakht hoon
andar se naram hoon
andar se thhanda hoon
oopar se garam hoon
arre baap re baap
ha ha ha ha ha
darr gaya na

jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
arre jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
seedha jail jaayegaa
koi baat nahin
dekh badi maar khaayegaa
koi baat nahin
kyaa yaad karega
jaa tujhe chhod diya
pehli baar maaf kiya
nahin baba nahin
arre jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
seedha jail jaayegaa
koi baat nahin
dekh badi maar khaayegaa
koi baat nahin

tauba karle
phir na aisa kaam karega
tauba karle
phir na aisa kaam karega
roz subha hamko salaam karegaa
roz subha hamko salaam karegaa
baat sun paas aa
patta das bees ka
hai tere paas kyaa
nahin baba nahin
to jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
arre bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
kyaa yaad karega
jo tujhe chhod diya
pehli baar maaf kiya
nahin baba nahin
arre jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin

dande ka mujhe istemaal aata hai
dande ka mujhe istemaal aata hai
tere baal bachchon ka khayaal aata hai
dande ka mujhe istemaal aata hai
thaane mein jaayega
andar ho jaayega
baahar nahin aayegaa
koi baat nahin
to jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
arre bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
kyaa yaad karga
jo tujhe chhod diya
pehli baar maaf kiya
nahin baba nahin
arre jaa jaldi bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin
arre bolta hoon bhaag jaa
nahin baba nahin

dekho gaur se dekho
mister natwarlal ko
dekho gaur se dekho
mister natwarlal ko
ulta chor daante
kotwaal ko
aaya gaya sau do sau
aaya gaya sau do sau
kaise kotwaali ka bhoola tu raasta
nahin baba nahin
hey aa jaldi aa jaa
nahin baba nahin
bolta hoon aaja
arre nahin baba nahin
arre seedhi tarah aaja
nahin baba nahin
arre bahut maar khaayegaa
nahin baba nahin
nahin baba nahin
nahin baba nahin