This
is the post-cursory article to my introductory post on Dog lovers. This post
describes how we thought of and planned on Dog adoption, how we convinced our
father, and some tips on what you can do to convince your loved one to let you
bring the puppy home.
HOW IT ALL
STARTED. THE MASTER PLAN
You need to be a serious kind of
crazy to even contemplate adopting dogs; or conceiving or adopting children
too, for that matter.
I reckon that almost half the
world’s population is unplanned, and the same goes for the spur of the moment
desire to adopt a pet; especially a Dog. Why do people get a Dog?
- They want to gift it to their Dog
loving spouse.
- They want someone as company.
- They want to see how it goes with
an animal before thinking of conceiving a human being. (Guilty!)
While there could be many other
reasons, the most important one being that they absolutely love the furry (or
not so furry) creatures, there are not many who think things through. Neither
while partaking in their amorous activities without protection, and nor while
deciding to get home a Dog.
Not us. We are planners. We plan.
We have plan A, plan B, plan C, and a few other contingency plans! We needed it
to convince dad to allow us to adopt a Dog!
The Master Plan
Dad likes Dogs. He does. But he
was right in saying that we weren’t ready for such a commitment. He was
working, so was I, and so was my brother Anant. There wasn’t a woman in the
house; for now at least. While Anant was engaged to his sweetheart Jyoti, there
weren’t marriage bells in sight in the near future.
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| Dad and Jyoti |
I did get married in Feb, and to
the love of my life, but all this was not the case when the master plan
germinated in our minds. The masterminds were Anant, Jyoti and I. The plan was
to convince Dad to allow us to adopt a pet. The terrific trio, against all
odds, was hell bent on convincing Dad. The old man had a valid point, and we
weren’t thinking straight. We usually don’t.
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| Anant and I |
It took about a month of coaxing,
threatening, emotional blackmailing and near-begging to convince dad for a
sit-down about the issue at hand. We needed a Dog, period. We loved them, for
chrissakes! He was stuck on his valid point that Dogs are not playthings, and
that they have to nurtured, they need attention, and care. He also raised a
super valid point; who was gonna clean all the poo that was going to come out
of it? We were seeing stars, and all his valid arguments fell on deaf ears. We
got him a few beers, massaged his feet, and well, to put it plainly, set him
up!
We asked him to retire, as it was
now time! He would have the company of a pet, we said. It would help him keep
fit as he could take the Dog for a walk, we said. We’d do all his poo cleaning,
and if he didn’t feel up to it, we’d take him for walks, and to vets.
We weren’t financially ready for
his retirement, or mentally. We just wanted the Dog so much! While Dad retired
in a month or so is another story, but the fact that he was adamant not to bend
to our wishes was unsettling for us then. We nonchalantly derided all his
concerns, while he smiled wryly, knowing full well we were tightening the noose
and creating a fool proof ( call it fool’s paradise) case for adopting a Dog.
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| Jyoti and I |
Jyoti was between jobs then, and
she volunteered to nurse the puppy till needed. This meant another 3 months of
unemployment; something that didn’t go down too well with Dad again. But our
constant badgering- a criminal would have confessed to crimes he had never
committed, such were our tactics- and relentless pursuit for the Dog finally
yielded results! Dad eked out a weak okay; let’s see, before scowling and
requesting for the last time to let him sleep. We were elated! The Master plan
had worked!
Dog Adoption convincing tips
So, you’ve set your heart on the
cuteness monster that is a Labrador. You want it with all your heart, might,
energy and life. Nothing, no one, not even God can stop you! Well, no one, except:
- You dog fearing wife
- Your house owning father/ You already heckled
mother
Let’s face it. Like there are Dog
lovers, there are Dog haters, or people afraid of Dogs. While you may feel it a
silly fear, there are some (like yours truly) who are afraid of flying cockroaches
in a closed environment. That is sillier. Sillier but true. We fear what we
fear.
She fears Dogs. What do I do?
There are two things you can do:
Find out the root cause of the fear
Was it due to the Dog bite when
she was 7 years old? You can tell her how home grown dogs, especially Labrador
Retrievers are friendly and docile. I personally know three people who were
shit scared of Dogs- one being my best mate’s son- who now love Coco (Our pet
Lab) so much that they find excuses to visit. Take them around to see a few
dogs; seeing the playful, harmless puppies may be just the shot in the arm
needed to turn a skeptic into a lover.
Present all the good stuff
You might also want to show her
the advantages, and disadvantages of keeping a pet mentioned below. Also, look
out for a milder breed of Dogs. Some people are intimidated with the size, so
don’t go looking for a Great Dane (although Great Dane’s are very timid Dogs).
You might-at your own risk- want
to try out this line too. Of course, this may work only if you don’t have any
kids. You can suggest nurturing a Dog before conceiving a kid, not because Dogs
are Guinea Pigs or you doubt her motherly skills, but because it is good
practice, and relatively lesser work which will help you prepare for
parenthood. Believe me when I say this, it does prepare you for it. It’s tough
love.
Note to Dog Lover- You may love
just one kind of a Dog, but please remember to compromise a little when it
comes to breed, for the comfort of your family. I can tell you that having any
dog in the house is equally gratifying and infuriating.
My Parents disapprove! What now?
If you live with your parents,
and they are wary about having a pet because of their hair, short life
expectancy, responsibility, they have a right to be so.
Dogs lose a lot of hair, and it
gets all over the place. The problem worsens if you are the third degree dog
lover who allows the dog everywhere. There is hair on sofas, bed sheets and the
floor. It is sometimes too much for the not so dog loving people you share your
life and apartment with.
Here are a few suggestions I can
give you:
Root Cause Analysis
Like in life, communication is the key to this problem too. While there
are problems, there are enriching and fulfilling pluses of adopting a dog. All
their fears, inhibitions and skepticism can be dealt with. You’ve got to
believe in this to make it happen.
·
If they
have a problem with hair all around, choose a breed which does not shed a lot
of hair. I’ll tell you which ones not to go for- Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel and
Labrador. Also, regular brushing will minimize their hair loss too. You can
also volunteer to clean up the hair using an industrial vacuum cleaner.
Besides, we as humans too lose hair all the time, don’t we?! You can use this
cute jibe with puppy eyes and pray it works on your wife, or your mum.
·
If they
think it’s too much of a bother, walking the dog, cleaning the dog, feeding the
dog, tending to the dog, well, it is. They are like kids and require your
utmost attention, if not constant. You can convince them that you will get the
puppy trained and hence ensure a well-trained, well behaved Dog. There are many
dog trainers and you will find one if you set your heart to it. Walking the Dog
is a gratifying and healthy experience, one that most people could do with. You
could volunteer to clean the dog, as it needs to be done just once a week and
believe me you, it’s a great experience!
·
If they
feel that dogs are expensive, let me tell you that they are not. You don’t need
to depend on just expensive dog food and dogs of the same breed have been known
to become vegetarians, non-vegetarians or jains depending on their owners. Yes,
they still remain healthy, just like their owners do. As they say, you are as
fit as your dog! A fat dog in most cases means a fat owner. We have adopted
Coco a year back, and his average expense per month, taking into consideration
his food, training, doctor visits, sickness medicines, vaccinations, etc. have
been about 4000 INR a month, tops.
The key lies in the desire. If the heart wants one, well, the heart wants
one! My requested life partner trait was that she should love dogs. I found
just the one. Hope you do too!
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| Himani, my better half, with Coco, our year old Lab |
If you have any other predicaments regarding dog adoption, post it in the
comments section and we will collectively come up with novel solutions!
