Why my dog is my best friend ?

- October 03, 2017

My dog named Mr.Yuri is no ordinary character, those who know me , knows him too. Those who don't know me , also knows him. He has very good communication skills means he responds rapidly to 'dinner time', 'lets go for a walk', 'do you want a treat?' and so on . In short every thing which he likes to do , he knows it by name including my friend Kiran who gets him treat and invites him to play in her garden.
Why is he so important to me?? There are several reasons. I had my first pet cat when I was around 5 years old. I grew up in a situation where I had no friends, no cousins or any other good company so to speak. These animals were my only company who I could share all my sufferings. Since then I had several pets although I was not allowed to have pets in the house. They came to meet me on our roof where I could forget everything else and play with them. I don't have anything to look back related with my childhood besides these animals. Some times there were cats with their newborn kittens. I took care of them mostly and it brought me immense pleasure when these cats have trusted me with their kittens. I was allowed to pat them, hold them and keep them in a safer place. Some times there were butterflies with broken wings or lost frogs. It sounds stupid and silly to those who has grown up in a regular upbringing with siblings or cousins. But for someone like me, it has been a different story.

When I grew up, I was able to rescue cats mostly and bring them to my own home. I had several cats as pets mostly rescued regardless of their breed. This time, I made few human friends and they adored my fur babies. There is a long list of names also such as Daku, Smokey, Pari, Chotu, Motoo, Mani, Fluffy and so on. When one of my very dear cat Smokey died , I was completely heartbroken. While dealing with my PTSD and emotional break down, it added to my turmoil. I always wanted to have a dog but my situations were not that good to keep one. My social circle has trusted me so much that I once took care of a friend's dog for 8 months , her name was 'Jojo' and she was a terrier. We had a blast of a time together. Then I was finally able to keep a dog. I have always liked small dogs because they are cute , easily manageable and it's fun to cuddle with them. We all have our own choices. Some of my friends have big breeds as well and they all are my good friends. I don't mind calling them my friends because they truly are.

So, I got a dog for myself named 'Sasha' who was a Russian Samoyed. She was a month old and meanwhile I was coordinating for a friend so he could have a dog too. She spent four days with me and died right in front of me. She was drinking water and she started choking. I picked her up and took her out to get her to the vet. But she was turning blue and became lifeless in my hands. I was going through another emotional breakdown with several panic attacks those days. That was the most traumatic experience for me in that situation. I cried and cried, then came a red basket with Mr.Yuri in it. He was tiny and around two months old. A cross between chihuahua and poodle has given me all the happiness and company those days. I did not want to loose and would never be able to do so. It has been five years now, he will turn six in December. We have shared a lot of memories together from taking him to play dates to the beach. I do have 'human' friends too and they all love him. They send him regards and ask for his well-being. He is part of him, who ever knows me, knows him.

There are all kinds of bullies, some bully humans and animals whether some bully your dog's breed. Where I live, people prefer pure breed and mostly labradors, rottweilers and German Shepard. Mr.Yuri is very social, he loves to meet new people and visit my friend's house as well as his friend's house , yes I take him for play dates very often. People have made fun of having a small dog and of a cross breed several times. The kind of bonding I share with him, I cannot express in words. I cannot imagine living without him but bitter truth is that his life is shorter than mine. One day, he will not be with me and I don't know what will I do. Every moment with him is precious right now. I have faced people making fun of his breed, calling him cross breed, refusing for his mating and so on. Nothing matters more than a healthy Mr.Yuri convincing me to play with him in the garden. He has surprised me several times with his ways of communication in the most adorable ways. Being having a history of abusive childhood and being in abusive relationships, I trust my dog more than any one. It does not matter what breed you have, what matters the most is that you are taking care of an innocent being and he loves to be with you.