"We believe at once in evil, we only believe in good upon reflection. Is this not sad?" - Madame Dorothee Deluzy
This quote really holds true for most of us. It's so easy for us to find fault in each other, yet it takes tremendous effort to give praise. I am guilty of this as well.
At work, I am infamous for my passive-aggressive comments and sarcastic comebacks, especially with colleagues who annoy me or I dislike. However, I make it a point to consciously make the effort to acknowledge an achievement or give a shout-out to a task well done by colleagues I don't get along with. Because honestly if I were in their shoes, I would be happy to hear positive feedback for a job well done from my fellow colleagues, especially if it surprisingly comes from those I don't gel with. It may not be an olive branch, but it certainly does improve frosty relationships.
When it comes to my nieces and nephew, it's the opposite. I find it easy to shower them with praise. But when we are at the shelter, I have to bite my tongue with the criticism, because I have to remember that they are children and need to be taught how to behave around animals. If all I do is scold them, they would associate dogs with nervous apprehension. They are the future generation and it's up to us to mould them in their journey in love of animals. So I heap up on the applauds and give a smattering of gentle advice on how to do it correctly.
So my niece, nephew and I hung out with Safina, Ygritte and Shamon last Friday.
Like my dad always says, "If you can drive in Mumbai or Cairo, then driving anywhere else is a piece of cake." So I said something similar to my niece. If you can rein in the hyperactive energy of dogs like Safina on the leash, walking other dogs is like a walk in the park.
With Safina, as my niece being the older of the two and cool-headed under strain, I gave her the leash and guided her with strict supervision; with my fingers inches away from the leash in case I have to intervene. I got to give her credit for being an ace at holding the leash the right way and she handled it like a pro.
My nephew tagged along behind as he is a bit nervous around larger dogs who tend to be enthusiastic in their greetings. It didn’t him long though to warm up to Safina and we ended up walking side-by-side enjoying the lovely weather and time together.
It was a delight to once again meet mother-son duo Jenny and Max who were walking with their regular companions Gio and Tyler. It also gladdened my heart to have my niece and nephew being my little helpers in passing out treats to volunteers.
In this day and age, when children would rather glue their faces to their smartphones than go outdoors, these volunteer weekends are the perfect combination of being outside, enjoying the company of our furry friends and bonding with family.
Safina was a sweetheart around the children and was calm when they wanted to pet her. So she definitely is good for a young family who like long walks twice a day.
After getting Safina in with the usual heavy lifting on my part due to her extreme reluctance of going in, the children wanted to walk a smaller dog. I first thought of Keto. But those plans derailed when his kennel mate Ygritte shot out of their kennel like a bullet. So I decided to go with her. If I ever wandered what Safina was like as a pup, Ygritte is my answer. Oh boy!
She is like a piglet. Hard to get a hold of, wriggles out of your hold and a good escape artist. It took my niece and me working in perfect sync to get the leash on her.
When the children thought of walking a younger dog, they expected more cuddling and less walking. Their hopes were delightfully dashed with Ygritte. Though they enjoyed her nutty antics and enthusiastic affection, they also learnt to keep their wits about them as she just wanted to run and head towards any older dog she saw.
One of the most stunning physical aspects about Ygritte’s face is her eyes, which in Hindi can be described as Sharabi Aankhen (eyes with appearance of a drunken stupor). There are people who naturally have such eyes and are considered rather beautiful to gaze into .
My niece handled her with ease as well and has learnt how to gently coax her off the path when other dogs are approaching from the opposite direction. This is done as a preventive measure, in case the dogs don’t get along and have a fight. Dog socialization training should only be by a qualified person in a controlled environment.
My nephew had enough of energetic dogs and wanted to pick a dog himself. His attention was drawn straight away to the Saluki Shamon. With Shamon, he was at ease and enjoyed his calm demeanor. I think he will now find himself being more of fond Salukis for these personality traits. I believe Salukis at the BSPCA shelter would be among the perfect candidates for visiting school children, who are not comfortable yet with dogs who have an eager greeting. Though for the rest of us we find their affection of jumping up sweet, for someone who are still new to interactions with dogs, this can be a bit unnerving.
Regrettably, it was time to leave and we were all feeling rather blue as we drove outside the gate. But these memories with them I cherish, especially the sight of their interactions with the adult volunteers and their doggy walking companions. It is in a place like this where the best of our qualities come to the fore. My fellow volunteers were so kind to the children and attentively listened to their every word.
If you are interested in taking part in the BSPCA volunteer weekends, the details are in the cover pic of this article.
