An abandoned puppy rescued from a rubbish dump in India has trekked to an Everest base camp, becoming what is believed to be the first dog to brave the hazards of mountaineering. Rupee, with professional golfer Joanne Lefson, trekked across rickety bridges and wet mountain paths, dodging landslides to reach the chilly heights. This real-life story recalls the mythological fable of the Mahabharata, where Yudhisthir and his brothers are accompanied by a dog on their last journey. It’s a reminder that dog is still man’s best friend.
What made Rupee ignore the perils of the climb was the fact that its master was with it. As dog lovers know, a dog is a like a child who never grows up. The master is the be-all and end-all of its life. Just as a dog regards itself as a protector of its owner, the latter takes care of all his pet’s needs. And when dog fails in its duty of providing protection, as it once happened with celebrated hunter Jim Corbett’s dog, Robin, which ran away when Corbett confronted a tiger, the dog’s subsequent apologetic behaviour showed that it was ashamed of having deserted its master in an hour of crisis. But Corbett did not mind, for he underlined the preciousness of his pet when he wrote: “all the gold in India will not buy him”.
While there are many well-known breeds, especially of foreign origin, which are eagerly sought in India by prospective owners who are ready to pay hefty sums for them, the dogs native to India like Rupee are no less worthy of adoption than the pedigreed variety. They, too, are not lacking in intelligence and affection. Moreover, their advantage is that they are used to the Indian climate and can withstand the heat and cold better than the imported breeds. Rupee, therefore, has a message for dog owners.