'Family don't end with blood' is a popular quote from an English series. True to that, a family in Puducherry recently performed the last rites for their dearest pet, Jackie. Goodbyes are always hard, especially if you have to bid adieu to the family's four-legged member.
It was love at first sight for Devarajan-Sujatha when they spotted Jackie in a dump yard near their residence in Gorimedu. The couple has two sons and the female pup became the third child they never had.
Jackie had always been a good girl that she had never bitten anyone even once in the last 12 years. She followed Sujatha to all the places and made sure her human was safe. In case if the boys in the house raise their voice against their parents, Jackie will quickly respond with a bark in a way to cool them down. There has not been a day that Jackie slept off without greeting her human father when he comes back home from work, no matter how late it gets.
According to Dinamalar's report, for the past one month, Jackie was not keeping well. The family consulted a lot of veterinarians in the town and they were informed that she was suffering from old age illness.
When the family said Jackie was part of their home, they really meant it that they even went to the extreme of going on a pilgrimage to Tirumala Tirupathi temple to pray for the ailing daughter. When Devarajan reached Tirupathi, he heard the most unfortunate news from his family. Jackie was no more.
Withholding his grief, he started back home while ordering his family to arrange a freezer box to keep Jackie's body. Sujatha held on to the icebox and wept uncontrollably while even the neighbours who tried to console her couldn't hold back their tears.
The family washed Jackie's body and wrapped it in a yellow cloth as per the tradition. They even smeared her forehead with kumkum and she was given a proper send off. They laid her to rest in a property that belonged to the family.
It was never just a dog for the family. Jackie will forever remain etched in their memories. After all, there's no best friend like a dog to humans. We hope Jackie gets more belly rubs and kisses on the other side of the world too!