A new puppy

is a child and is not as tough to manage as a human one.  She is easier to toilet train, mine is much smarter than all other inhabitants in the home, she understands, gives some serious unconditional loving, sleeps for 22 of 24 hours and does not back answer...silence is an option when we spend time with her!

Kids take 1 year or two to toilet train, have to have bums washed and tuition fees paid, test your patience and knowledge and can hit out right at the core into your self esteem.  People generally get really upset when I compare kids to dogs but in my mind, they are one and the same.  In fact, if you have two of the former, one in the latter category will help you thrive...err...survive!

Animal rights is a topic really close to my heart.  And it kills me to see the situation world over and especially in India.  We really, really suck taking care of our animal citizens.  We speak of the God Bhairava, mess up on dog population control (a commonality with humans, yet again!) and then decide that Animal Birth Control (ABC) is too expensive/labour intensive/slow and try to have 'animal free' cities.  Yes, we will kill our animals to make up for our irresponsibility.

I remember a really hot debate with a friend before our return to India.  The argument was that we actually take care of our animals because people feed them on an individual level (some of them, nowhere close to what is required, still no sterilization!) and because there are so many starving children/people in the country, there should be no time/space/funds for animals.

The first argument I buy a bit.  Some people (very few) take care of the strays in their neighbourhoods.  They feed them....giving the animals less reason to forage and take bites of children (Bangalore has had quite a few child deaths from dog attacks).  These people care and could be empowered to do more by support from government programs/NGOs.  We could help them sterilize their friendly neighbourhood guards and vaccinate them to ensure health and hygiene.  Of course we don't do this.

One of my relatives was a real animal guy, as well he would be as a qualified vet and having risen up to manage one of the best veterinary colleges in the country.  He would ensure that animals were fed and had enough fresh water for them always at his home.  He passed away suddenly recently.  I was not there but heard that around 20 - 23 animals came, circumambulated his body lying in the hall, went outside and sat in a row, none of them even looked to where the food had been kept for them.  Goose flesh.

As for the second argument, a country has to take care of all its people, all its enviroment, all of it at the same time.  Tough job?  Absolutely.  So take your mind off corruption, you corporators and people in public office and get to the task of governing.  Funny how education and righteousness is a disqualification for the most important jobs in the country.  Poverty should not be.  People should not starve.  Grain should not rot.  Okay, fix it.  Sure it's easy when the eyes are on the right ball.

Animal rights, environment....equally important and at the same time.  We can't wait around to feed everyone and then wake up in a world where the animal population is raging out of control and trees have disappeared.  This human versus animal debate has to end here.  No country can afford to take causes chronologically and solve problems one AFTER the other.  This hold good even if government/social sector machinery are efficient and lean, mean machines.

The NGOs in the animal rights sector - that is a subject for another post.  Or maybe they are not even worth mention.  The Indian population is largely anti animal rights, in almost all areas in any ways that matter.  So any organization has an uphill task to start with.  Then what do they do?  Stick to ideological positions so isolating, idealistic and extreme that they won't forge partnerships with the few options that exist and make it really difficult for anyone to help/support/empower.

If you support animals, you have to go vegan.  So, it's okay to hurt plants?  Then what does one do?  Starve to death in the name of animal rights?  I am vegetarian, mind you.  Any product in today's world (including plastics!) has some animal parts in it.  Do we have the time and resources to study EVERYthing we use and find substitutes?  These organizations have to get real.  Yesterday.  It is sad to see the ambassador damaging his own cause!

I am often asked who I would pull out of a burning home....my kids or my pet.  I can't choose.  It is all or nothing for me.  To live after not watching out for either kids or pets is not even a life.  It would not be worth living to me....I wish the choice on this was more black and white to me.

Just like losing a child can't be replaced, losing a pet comes with its pain.  Do we not have children foreseeing sorrow in our future?  We would be nuts to give up the fun and life that a home gains when a dog enters it.  Yes, I know that I will survive Loopy.  And know we will all be devastated.  But I would not give up this time with her to save myself from future pain.  She already brings so much joy to our lives and it has only been two weeks!

Animals rock....dogs for sure and Loopy, especially so!

Until later!