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When an angel came home and into our lives

When an angel came home and into our lives

“Your beloved pets are earth angels, and when they cross the rainbow bridge, their loving presence stays loyally by your side.” ~Doreen Virtue

Today happens to be the birthday of a special someone. This blog post is dedicated to him!

Flashback to two years ago…

My daughters and I were in a perennial debate of sorts over owning a pet dog. We had several discussions on the pros and cons of having a puppy at home.

  • Who would take the huge responsibility of caring for a little animal at home?
  • Are we ready for a commitment of another 10-12 years of an average dog life span?
  • Would a pet fit into our lifestyle?
  • What would happen during vacations when we are not at home?
  • How will they manage their studies along with taking care of the pet?
  • Are we going to be okay with the mess a puppy can create?
  • Should we adopt or buy?
  • Is everyone at home okay about this?

Many such questions and more faced me…and my daughters had all the answers ready. After looking at their earnest desire and enthusiasm and weighing the positives, we concluded to go for it. In all good faith, I decided to take the plunge of being a pet parent.

Then the choice of the right breed was important. Not too big, not the very shedding kind, not an aggressive breed, etc. We arrived at an amicable choice – Shih Tzu would be just the right fit.

Since chances of finding Shih Tzus for adoption were rare, we decided to buy a Shih Tzu puppy from a breeder. The breeder sent us pictures based on which we selected our baby. Out we went to a pet store nearby to get all the accessories ready to welcome him home. While talking to the pet storeowner, we proudly showed him the photo of our chosen pup’s mother. He immediately pointed out that this photo was of that of their own Shih Tzu – a prize dog! We felt cheated and instantly canceled our booking with that breeder. And booked one with this pet store owner.

The day arrived when we had to bring him home. There was excitement in my daughters’ eyes, there was a bit of anticipation in mine as I was bringing in another baby home. A baby I had not much idea how to bring up. We had agreed – it was going to be a joint responsibility between the three of us. I was going to be dependent on my dependents to raise him.

SIMBA!

That was the name chosen for our little bundle of joy. How tiny was he when we first held him – almost the size of our hand. For most of the time, he slept. But while awake, Simba was full of energy running from one end of the house to the other. He kept following whoever was in his visibility. And hated to be confined in his playpen. Just like a little baby demands, so did we have to be on a constant vigil cleaning up his pee and poop.

How Simba liked being snuggled under my mother’s sari and find comfort in the warmth. We had to be watchful of him not coming under our feet, as he was so tiny and swift in his movements. Everyone took to him beautifully, again just like we do towards babies. It’s amazing how quickly a pet can become the center of activity and attention at home. But just as quickly, things changed in a matter of a few days when he contracted a deadly virus. Unfortunately, he was too little to fight it and much to our despair, couldn’t survive. But today I do not want to talk about that pain of losing him.

Instead today, when Simba would have turned two years old, I only want to celebrate the precious time he spent with us. Our family cherishes those days filled with joyful, playful, fun loving moments. The glee in his eyes when we would return home. The sprint in his feet when it was time for meals. Just having him constantly yearn for my attention made me feel so wanted. Our paths were meant to cross for the short life span he was here. In those few days, he had exemplified the true meaning of unconditional love. We had chosen him but in reality, perhaps he had chosen us as his family to facilitate an extremely peaceful liberation of his soul in this life. It truly felt like an angel came into our lives, blessed us and left for heavenly abode. He may have crossed over the rainbow bridge, but he continues to live with us in spirit!

Simba – we miss you and love you. Always will.

 

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