Oh Lord! Don't let me be misunderstood!

Ok, so we all know how cute and playful our good old Rocky is. But with the new member coming in the family, my little niece, he does feel cornered most of the times. We had our apprehensions about how he will react and behave around the baby but contrary to what we presumed, he has been a real sport. Like all labs are, he is very protective about her.

The day she came into our house, very strict rules were drawn for him and everyone made sure that he does not go near the infant. Out of his child like curiosity, he peeks into her room several times in the day. When she is sleeping soundly, he sits outside the door. When she is crying, he starts barking at us, questioning in his on way why she is crying.

Often times, he gets shouted at, mistreated too (when I am not around... not that I don't know), something even I feel helpless about. Then he looks at me in a pitiable way, asking me why should I be treated differently. Am I not part of the family? Well, Rocky my dear, such are the ways of the world. We humans are misunderstood more often than not, even though we can talk in a language that everyone understands. I understood, how much more difficult it is for you. 

But you know what my precious, let the little baby grow up a bit, nobody would be able to stop her from coming to you and playing with you. You and the baby will be the best of friends, that I know :) 

Rocky made a new friend

Yesterday was a fine sunny Sunday afternoon. Mom and I jumped out of our Indian quilts and stepped out to the park with Rocky. The three of us went out together after months.

There was no one in the park except three little kids who were playing. Rocky was running all over the park, going behind bushes, circling around the benches. As he did that, one of the kids screamed “he found a clue, he found a clue”.. I suddenly felt as if we were detectives and he was our sniffer dog, going all over the place to locate hints about how the crime happened in the dark of last night. Rocky felt important too and started acting very consumed with the sniffing business. He would sniff a corner, sniff it again to make sure, quickly leap ahead, sniff the next.. look up for a second .. and run in the other direction to scan another corner.

Extremely impressed by his expertise and sharpness, one of the kids yelled out.. “blackie blackie” and I said smilingly, “his name is Rocky” . The kid reluctantly asked me if he bites. I told him he was very friendly and playful. Then I asked him if he would like to play with him and the kid nodded in consent. He climbed down the swing and walked towards Rocky as he wagged is tail to welcome the newcomer. Hesitating a bit , he started patting Rocky. Rocky gave him a gentle peck on his cheek and that moment I could see a new friendship in the making. The kid smiled and I asked him his name. He said “Golu”.

Rocky ..meet Golu.. u r new friend !! Golu.. meet Rocky !!

They shook hands, played for a while and promised to meet again today !

Duffer Rocky

Dunno what made me wake up at 5:40 am today, usually I am never up before 10 in the morning. Maybe it was a signal for what was coming only an hour later.

It was 6:40 in the morning and this guy who comes to wash our car came inside the gate, took the hose pipe and left ..without closing the gate.

Rocky was playing in the living room. I came out of my room and stepped out in the Verandah to get some fresh air, not realizing I was being followed by Rocky .. he was waiting for that one moment to sneak out of the house and go out on the street.

The main gate was open and this came as a perfect opportunity for this scoundrel.

He ran outside and even before I could fathom what was going on, the next thing I know is that there is a riot between the street dogs and Rocky. My folks ran outside... it all happened in seconds. But all my folks could do was accuse me of being careless and letting Rocky go out.

They stood there on the street watching the dogs take over Rocky …still accusing me!!

Courtesy .. old age ???

That moment I realized they will just stand there and let him die.. and thanks to my still so great reflexes, I caught hold of this plastic brush that was lying over the letter box at light speed and  leaped out in the street … Rocky being bullied by those big, angry, dirty street dogs.

I leaped out and threw the brush at one of those filthy beasts with all my might… it was good enough to scare the shit out of them and then as I progressed to rescue Rocky , he ran away out of fear…only to be followed by 2 big, black, ferocious mongrels. As I could only barely manage to walk…faster than I usually do… my parents still standing and watching and doing nothing except screaming… I had to rely on all the Basket Ball I had played in school… and threw stones at those dogs one after the other… pretty pleased at myself for hitting one of them badly. I faught there like Bruce Lee… Hayeeyah  :P 

Phew.. finally I was able to shoo them out of the street… and get Rocky back in the house and guys can u believe it… my mom is standing and still yelling at me for being careless… I mean… no sense of appreciation for what I did… not even asking me once whether I am alright.. I had to immediately lie down as I knew I had strained myself real bad.

Sometimes you wish you had parents who were better at being parents. Well atleast I can say that for myself, I was a good parent today… I could protect Rocky.. and that is one thing I will always do.

The downside, I vented all my anger on Rocky, well he had to be told what an idiot he was today.. I slapped him hard .. and he knows why… and I am not going to pamper him today.. at all !!

He stands grounded for 2 days !!

Always By My Side !

Post dinner, as all the family members prepare to sleep, my mind wanders and wrestles in the darkness that has long clogged my consciousness .Abnormal pains and restlessness, burden so heavy ....so heavy that it feels as if I am carrying another me on my shoulders.

I stepped out of the living room to call up a close friend and speak my heart with her and Rocky shouts... he has never let me step out of the main gate of our house alone.

I try to walk a bit while talking to my friend and Rocky, who I have locked inside the gate, gets worried, doesnt take his eyes off me..till as long as I am talking, gives me gentle but strict reminders with his precise "woof" to step inside.

He sees the way I limp, he knows the difficulty I have in taking steps and balancing my feet on the ground. He understands the constant fight that my mind and body are engaged in. I cannot exert more so I come inside the gate and sit in the Verandah, still talking to my friend. Rocky takes rounds of the chair I am sitting on and makes sure I am alright. He reads the pain in my eyes, the battle in my heart, the uncertainty and fear in my soul, the desperation of getting better in my smile. He understands it so well, sometimes better than my family and friends. He can't sit and do a pep talk with me, he can't tell me its going to be alright, he cant give me the reassurance that I need all the time.. he just licks my face and hands ...showering all the love in his heart on me...is that not enough ! He cannot express in words but his eyes tell me he cares..all the time.

It's half past 10, I end the conversation with my friend and step inside the house with Rocky and he heaves a happy sigh, wags his tail and  sits quietly. I cuddle him, gently kiss his forehead and he licks my neck all over ..telling me how much I mean to him.

I am in my room now and as I type this on my laptop, Rocky is falling asleep beside my bed.

Bear Hug baby Rock !! Sleep tight !!

There cannot be a greater companion than him for me ....not even God !!!

Growing Up !!

As a few months old, he would eat anything from rice and dals to curd, milk, bread, chapatis, veggies etc.. Slowly we introduced him to eggs and chicken and he became so addicted to them that there came a phase when he would not eat anything else. But we have seen his taste buds change a lot during his growing months. He is not fond of rice anymore, loves bananas and mangoes, drools over chicken, hates bland food, is mad about Indian street food - the traditional gol gappas, aloo tikki , bhelpuri, samosas etc and is crazy for sweets, particularly ice cream !!

Many a times when I am drowned in my laptop , he sneaks into my room and very quietly picks up my omelette, making noise only when it is almost gone !!

He loves to take a bite from every member of the family as they eat..it could be any number of bites in any number of meals and any number of times in a day .. he is always hungry :D

He has mellowed down so much in these 2 years, from being a tiny wild beast who would rip away cushions and doormats, into a huge, powerful but a very friendly companion who only wants to play with his ball.

In the past few months, he has grown into a fine handsome young lad and has quite a fan following among the local neigborhood bitches, who surrender themselves in the middle of the road just at the sight of him.. !! All day long they laze around at the entrance of our house like Juliets waiting patiently for that one little glimpse of Rocky . And as evening comes and Rocky steps out for his daily walk, they gather around from under the cars, trees, shades..wherever they were relaxing, their tongues hanging and cupid stricken eyes....they follow him all around !!

It's A Dog's Life !!

Rocky respects my elder brother a great deal, he loves him, longs to play with him and obeys him…decently enough…what did you think.. labs are super naughty after all !!

He is scared of my dad .. 'cos Wadhera Sr. is a very strict, no nonsense man !!

He takes my mom for granted… doesn’t listen to her… emotionally blackmails her and and hides behind her when my dad tells him off. Mom leaves for work in the morning with a pat on his head and comes back by 6 p.m with a variety of goodies for him. If she is late even by 5 minutes, he gets worried.

As for me, I love to love him, pamper him, kiss him, hug him at every chance I get during the day, throttle him and sometimes scold him.. as if he cares :)

But he knows that I give him all the love that is there in this world. The only thing I cannot do with him is play around, walk or run , and I would so want to do that someday. Waking up in the mornings and running with Rocky on the beach, swimming with him in the water, taking him out on long drives in my truck and stopping by at Subway to grab a bite…!!

He has a great sense of understanding about things and is extremely sensitive, in a good way though!!

He loves monsoons and goes outside in the verandah whenever its pouring and sits there, feeling the raindrops on his face, staring continously at the clouds, trees and the mighty universe, lost in his own thoughts...wonder what they must be !!

Everytime we take him out for a ride in the car, he would put his head out of the window and observe things intently, forming his own opinion about them. He would gaze at tall buildings, green trees, children playing in the roadside park, the fruit vendor or maybe the fruits - red, yellow, orange ..all colours, old man walking his German Shepherd, street dogs fighting, people waiting at the bus stand, the guy in grey suit talking on his cell phone, couples walking hand in hand.....he understands all the drama in the world..particularly the human world.

Beggars refuse to bother us when our car stops at traffic signals, the fear of him is so evident on their faces...he is such a harmless fellow and I would like to keep that a secret from these lot.. ;)

He sits in a corner and sulks when we get really mad at him, but needs only a cuddle to be happy and cheerful again ..he does not throw tantrums like we humans do !

My Baby !!

Two and a half years back, when I took him in my hands for the first time, I knew that he was sent from heaven above for me. He was only 35 days old, a tiny little creature who would just fold away in my hands. Soft, tender skin...softer than a stuff toy, baby face, scared innocent eyes, timidly searching for his mother.

It took me days of serious convincing to make my family agree to adopt him.        

I very distinctly remember my mother’s happily excited, yet a bit reluctant reaction when we brought him home. But all her maternal instincts welled up the moment I put him in her lap and she cuddled him, her eyes beaming with an extra ordinary joy.

I remember so many nights we all have been up because of his squealing and crying, moist sad eyes and disturbed face . So many nights I have held him in my arms till my shoulders hurt, put his head on my chest and kissed him to sleep.

It took him days to get used to our family and to come in terms with leaving behind his clan     forever. Slowly, he grew out of the memories of his family and became one of us.

Finding a suitable name for him was no less than a grand ceremony. There was a big controversy at home about christening him. There were a bunch of suggestions like Smeagol (from Lord of the Rings character) , Einstein, Panther, Hot Dog and what not !!.

But I had my way and named him Rocky. The name comes from my inspiration and idol Rocky Balboa.

He is my baby, my little brother, my best friend, my guardian and my treasure.
Meet Rocky Wadhera - my precious... my own… my black Labrador !!