ROBIN

Sometimes when you are going thru the worst moments of your life, when most people around you are acting selfish, and suddenly out of nowhere, the frown on your face turns into a smile. Well not like a sarcastic grin which actually means, ‘God, you never miss to screw me up!’ .  Its just that, you smile when you are all tensed, just because you remembered someone who did something for you selflessly. I went thru something like that, quite recently. It wasn’t my friends or my family whom I thought of, it was my pet – ROBIN. And so here goes...

Dear Robin,

They say that a dog is a man’s best friend. You were mine. Throughout my childhood, if there was one friend who was fiercely protective of me, extremely faithful, it was you. You not only kept me safe, but my house & family too.

I am sorry I wasn’t by your side when you were sick. I am sorry I didn’t shed tears when you passed away. But I am now. I guess I never got over the fact that you had gone. Just like that. As a kid, I thought, we would grow up side by side. But now, I know nothing lasts forever. And that is why, I owe you this tribute.

No one will ever take your place in my heart, my furry friend. I can never forget our little games of hide and seek or when I used to sneak meat off my plate and pass it to you under the dining table. Whenever I had a fight with my friends, you were always there – ready to play! I can never forget the time when you were locked inside our shop for hours or when the PMC officers took you away to put you down or when you went missing for 3 days!

Once while walking down the road with my mother & aunt, you barked off a man on a bicycle – for no reason – but I felt that was your way of showing us that you cared. That was one of the many times I felt proud of you. You always tried to please my grandfather & mother, although they never really liked dogs. But let me tell you, they speak of you fondly to this day.

 Men and women spend their lives trying to find the perfect companion. If there was at least one human being with at least half of your qualities, it would be an astonishing feat. I hope you come back to me someday. Or at least keep coming back in my dreams. I am not trying to hold you back or anything. You have transitioned into another world & I hope you are in peace.

Goodbye. Woof!

A dog is not "almost human" and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such. ~John Holmes