How we treat our dogs says a lot about our parenting style
Back in Delhi we love strays. The groomed varieties are between the usual Labrador, Retriever, Pomeranian, Spaniel and Alsatian. But even those owners love strays. We feed them, pet them, play with them and even clothe them. Dogs everywhere live like family but that means the traits of upbringing in your culture transfers over to how you live with your dog. And in Delhi, it doesn’t matter which breed lives at home, we transfer our over-loving-protective-cautious nature onto our relationship with the animal as well. The only difference is that the humans in the house are kept in near violent discipline, dogs can do whatever. And like the humans, the dogs don’t realize the downside of such pampering. They grow up to be loving duds.
Near Lake Ontario, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, dog owners and outdoor enthusiasts gather at the beach to have a relaxed time. Dogs are unleashed the moment they step into a wide land area and there’s no way you can chase down the animal if they made a run for it. But owners trust the animal and other humans to play along, be chill when the dog approaches them and in a way even help in case a dog needs it. I felt these were given, like an unsaid agreement.
When my dogs ran out of the house, as they often did because why not, it was all hell from there. I’d panic too because we are conditioned to imagine the worst. We’d run after the animal as the neighbours witness the drama while the dog probably just thought it’d be fun which soon must have felt like not so much fun but rather avoiding something unpleasant. They get to know after their initial burst of euphoria that master didn’t like it. Happy spasms turn to nervous growls. How familiar.
No wonder the dogs are swimming in the lake here, running along the shore and following their masters without leaving any point of interest un-inspected. They were trusted and required to play along. Sure, there must have been casualties but where aren’t they?
It takes a long time and distance for millennial Indian kids to learn their weaknesses and strengths. And then to understand the need to be manageably content in that knowledge.
The sense of loss is so severe, the drama of pain echoes and we are an inherently skeptical culture. Murphy’s Law should’ve been made in the Indian subcontinent. Parents, let your dogs be, feed them less and bond over dirt.
