CHENNAI: What better name than Tickles to give my pet, who brings so much joy and laughter in my life? Tickles is an eight-year-old shitzu and I got him from a vet clinic in Indiranagar. Soon after, my whole life revolved around him like a mother’s around her child. I love taking him out for walks no matter how busy or early my day starts. I like to do it myself and not hire a dog walker.
If anyone else tries, he runs away and hides. It’s as if he knows the sanctity of our walk time together. That is adorable, heart melting and even funny at times when he has to be carried like a baby because he refuses to walk with anyone else. If I have to point out a negative trait, it is that he is so attached to me and my daughter that its difficult to leave him and go for holidays. He neither eats nor plays properly those times.
My biggest worry was how my mom and dad would take to him. We never had dogs or cats growing up and my dad was afraid of dogs. He even told me he won’t stay with me as Tickles is now there. But things changed when Tickles came home. Now, my dad loves playing with him. My mother calls Tickles Saadhu because he has a calm temperament.
We have many happy moments with him but my favourite is his first introduction to my daughter, who was eight at the time. When he came home for the first time, my daughter had no clue. He was so small and cute she thought he was a toy. But that changed when he walked up to her and pees right there! It cracked all of us up and we still remember that introduction.The author is a personal trainer and certified health coach