The rich man’s guardian and the poor man’s friend. The only creature faithful to the end. Yes it’s obedience and loyalty is legendary. But I have my own misgivings about dogs. This distrust is the result of my encounters with the bow-wow. The other day I was walking down the street when I was caught unawares by a doggy taking the afternoon nap under a car. I usually let sleeping dogs lie but this one seemed determined to give me the fright of my life. Of course its bark was as worse as its bite. All my attempts to shove it away came a cropper. Saliva dripping from its snarling mouth, the pooch leapt at my leg. I felt red hot pain and later saw blood oozing from the calf.
My earlier encounter was even more scary. I was returning home from night duty when a pack of dogs encircled me. I flailed wildly, threw the bag in my hand and managed to escape with a few scratches.
But the miserable part was the first bonus I got from the Express going to the dogs—literally. I had to spend the entire amount towards the anti-rabies vaccine.
On one occasion I went to the house of a CCMB scientist to interview him. When he opened the door I found to my shock a huge dog staring at me. Repeated assurances of its docile nature failed to calm my ruffled nerves. Mustering every ounce of courage, I moved inside gingerly. Even as I struck up conversation, I could feel a chill running down my spine.
The most terrifying moment was when the scientist went to the other room to answer the phone leaving me in the company of the Great Dane. I sat bolt upright—a silent prayer on my lips. I sweated heavily under the collar. There was palpable fear and I missed a heartbeat.
The barrage of questions unleashed by the vet is often more terrifying than the bite itself. Did the dog bark while biting or pounced without barking. Was it a normal or a mad dog. Did it know you. Did it bit anyone else before you. Why did it bite you. Any old enmity or did you provoke the dog yourself? Even before one recovers from this fusillade, the vet throws a googly. “Keep an eye on the dog. Watch the behavioural changes in it. The next ten days are very crucial. If the dog dies you can count your days.”
This nightmarish experience turned my friend, Abid Moiz, into a fine humour writer. Victims of dog bites can find solace in his essay ‘Sag Gazeedah’.
J S Ifthekhar
Email: jsifthekhar@gmail.com