I have been busy trying to complete my first book which is why I have not been posting for some time now. I thought I should start again and hence this post.
Some time ago a rather anxious only Daughter of mine, (at least I hope so) calls me and requests me if I could come and be of assistance to her in helping out with a predicament she was facing to ensure that the latest guest who were to patronize here prestigious Dog Hotel, Havens, were checked in and properly taken care of. Her regular helper had taken a leave of absence and she had to go to work. These two Ridgeback Puppies two months of age had been referred to her establishment by a prominent animal rights activist in Sri Lanka. Like I mentioned it is a prestigious Dog Hostel.
Since of late the half way home has deteriorated to pathetic levels in terms of taking care of its Residents and as I also needed a change in environment to detune from a hectic one and a half month schedule and completion of an exam, I readily agreed and proceeded to depart to her Residence in the morning. I have visited and lived here on several occasions in the last two years but somehow other whenever I come here I invariably get lost. But I did after a circuitous route land there at ten thirty in the morning.
My Daughter instructed me as to what I should do and I was not particularly concerned about my responsibility of ensuring that the Owners would depart after leaving their precious pets in my care. There is one other elderly help who is referred to as Uncle and I was pretty confident this would be an absolutely no hassle check in. I was told by the Proprietor, my daughter that is, with absolute confidence that three of the five assorted canines that are permanent domiciles of this establishment have to be taken to their respective kennels and the other two can be used to assist in acclimatizing the new guests and this is the proven formula in her experience. So I was ready and awaiting the call that would herald the arrival of the guests.
The Residence of the Haven has three kennels in the garden but generally pups are in the main premises. The main hall is bordered at its perimeter where one enters, by a strip of garden which suddenly drops down about ten feet in a slope but this is not obvious as such at a casual glance.
I suddenly saw a gentleman along the strip enquiring as to whether he could bring the pups in. I was surprised at the arrival, as I was supposed to get a telephone call informing of the time of arrival, but thought what the hell and greeted him with a smile and invited him to bring his pups in. Accompanied by his wife and daughter the two cute pups were delivered and deposited at the open entrance when all hell broke loose. The so called acclimatization Canine a Dalmatian, who incidentally I think is a fake, (I believe a forger had used a permanent black ink marker to spot the fellow) charges out barking and one of the pups howls in fright and slips down the slope. I froze and I swear I thought the Owner would probably strangle me. But Dutch courage took over and screaming for Uncle, who at that point in time had decided that his hearing deficiency had manifested, pushed the rather exuberant fake Dalmatian back inside, shut the gate and looked at a peering pup whose instincts had taken over and was clambering back to terra firma. I breathed a sigh of relief when Uncle appeared. I immediately berated him as to why he had violated check in procedure and asked him to pick up the pups and do the job as it was meant to be done. Very confidently now I assured the Owner that there was nothing to worry locked up the Dalmatian while the pups were taken inside. I invited the Owners to sit as I did the same before my legs gave way.
The rest of the day went as planned and the next morning the pups had settled down and getting along very well. The Proprietor, my Daughter, loved the new guests and the day went on very well accept the buggers didn’t allow me to sleep the whole night and I was a bloody zombie during the whole day. But it helped me to distract my mind from a myriad of other issues that have cropped up over the last three days and definitely better than being in the hell hole the half way home had become now.
In the evening my Daughter had invited three of her school mates who love dogs to visit and see the guest. They arrived and I watched three genuine animal lovers shower their affections on the pups and the same time ensuring that the other dogs got equal attention. In between conversations and the taking of photographs and the other interesting topics that were discussed there was consistency in a very comforting dimension to me. Some of the anecdotes of their own Dogs and the circumstances that lead to ownership were enthralling to say the least.
My mind drifted to my childhood when the death of an animal invoked reaction and stray dogs being sheltered was a way of life. I still remember driving one of my Mothers dogs tipsy (The name was due to her addiction to beer) to a vet in the middle of the night after getting a curfew pass in the height of the Emergency of 1971. The cops thought my Mother was off her bloody tree! These days a dead human found on the street will probably be stripped off any valuables and nobody would care two hoots.
What struck me was how my country has changed so much now. People don’t have time to worry about others let alone animals unless you belong to a rare few to whom social issues and the situation of the country concerns them deeply. It is still not too late to start inculcating values at least in the young. They can be changed to think differently as opposed to most of the present generation who are only obsessed with nothing but themselves. Time tested values should be a part and parcel of the process of growing up and harnessed positively I hope I may live to see the Sri Lanka I was born in and loved so much once again!
