A dear departed....

She was the tiniest 15-day old that I had ever seen. All of 6 inches tall, shrill voiced, and with those eyes that looked like they have been contoured freshly with black mascara, Mini stormed into our lives this day, 17 years ago.

It was a lovely experience to watch her grow up amidst us. She was a very joyful dog, with a lovely tan coat; a shade of tan that was uncommon for dachshunds, deep warm eyes and an allegiance that I have never been able to fathom. Her playful antics of running around to catch her own tail, her “reverse-gear” dashes, slapping big black ants with her tiny paws, chewing on all our shoes & sandals, carving off our furniture legs, tearing our curtain ends, her fear of the fire-crackers & thunderstorms, her hate to be tied-up with a chain, her apprehension on being left alone at home, her love for half-scraped coconut shells and morning tea, her acute loathe for lizards up on the walls, her despise for stray cows or goats that wander near our home to graze, her deep adoration for the family members, her guilt-ridden face whenever she dirtied our home instead of relieving herself outside, her regular “vigilance” walks around the house every hour, her sneak-visits to our beds to sleep beside us, remains etched in my mind even today.

Apart from the family members, there were only very few people whom she allowed to be a part of her “inner-circle”; the rest had to do with merely watching her from a distance. If dogs could speak, then Mini kutty would have communicated to us in clear Malayalam. I am sure she understood every single word we spoke. The mere utterance of “shampoo”, “chain” and “water” was enough to make her go into hiding, to avoid a bath which she intensely despised. She could recognize the sound of dad’s bike approaching from miles away and would gleefully run around the house waiting in anticipation for his arrival. She wouldn’t hesitate to create a pleasant ruckus each time anyone of us returned home from a brief period away from her sight.

I still remember the day when mom was away from home for almost a week and Mini had refused to eat even a morsel of food without seeing her. She had to be coaxed and cajoled into eating some food and finally force-fed when all other tactics failed. We had never seen a more happier dog, when mom returned from her trip. Mini refused to leave her side for a whole week since then. She asked up onto her bed and lay by her side all throughout the week fearing that she’ll leave her again. It took a lot of sweet-talking and comforting before she finally was convinced.

Her non-judgmental companionship and unwavering loyalty to us, many a times, gave a small lug on our hearts. She left us quietly one August afternoon, after spending 14 years of her life with us..…without giving us a chance to bid her a proper good-bye, without letting us show her what she meant to all of us, without realizing the void she was going to leave behind and without allowing us to thank her for sharing her life with us.

Miss you Minikutty…