CHENNAI: Diva ‘woofed’ her way into my life late at night on September 28, 2015. All of 42 days, as curious at one can get, and with the appetite of a vacuum cleaner. I brought her home in my handbag, that’s how tiny she was. She checked out the bundled up blanket and cushion that I had set up for her to sleep in and then came straight for my bed. “Well, aren’t you a diva?” I said. The name stuck.
As dreadful as the first three months were with me trying to figure out her potty training, her walks, her diet and all amid my busy work schedule, she was a bundle of joy and just the sight of her could melt my problems away. I have to admit that she came to me at a time when I was undergoing counselling sessions for my depression.
Although at first it seemed like things had gotten worse with me having added tasks now, once she got into her routine, life was not just easier but I suddenly felt my sense of purpose coming back to me. I slept better, woke up with a fresh resolve to get better, and also felt responsible for the extra belly that I had to feed. There were days I panicked that I hadn’t fed her, and then days where I accidentally fed her twice.
They say pets are a reflection of their humans, and I’d say that Diva is as sassy as they get, she’s independent with a strong personality, and the only dog I know who goes for her daily walks without a leash (yes, she looks both ways before crossing the road).
Society often has convenient ways of placing single and independent women in boxes. Well for one, many pet owners laughed and questioned my decision of adopting Diva. I was told that my lifestyle wouldn’t be suitable to bring up a dog. But anyone who knows us will vouch that she couldn’t have been in a better home. We love our drives, our breakfast dates and our visits to Cubbon Park on sundays.
Today, I am the proud mother of a well-behaved girl child with a rocking attitude.