KOCHI: When I saw a couple of friends having Shih Tzu, I fell in love with these cute furry babies and decided to own one. Seven-year-old Copper is highly principled and disciplined. Right after my class at 5 pm, we step out for a drive and pull up in front of a park and spend some time there. It is an everyday ritual for us.
I love all his antics and smartness. When we tell our address to delivery boys over phone, he goes to the main door and waits for them. He is more human than a dog. You can’t take any of his toys, he won’t even let you touch them.
In my opinion, dogs make the best pet choice, followed by cats. Pets care about us, they detect every emotion like teary face, sadness or bad mood, for which they come and cheer us up. Mine exhibits a smile when he sees the entire family sitting together. You look forward to head home as you know someone is waiting to show love, loads of it. Copper doesn’t like making compromises.
Everything should happen on time, which is commendable and thus, reinforces my beliefs about the same – stick to discipline. Before I got him, I was mentally prepared and wanted to get this stuffed toy look-alike home as soon as possible. The only worry was about him being lonely when I step out for long hours. We had to put our previous dog Sharekhan, a Great Dane, to rest as he was suffering from cancer. It took me a while to smile genuinely as I was so hurt.
Also, travelling with Copper was difficult. Of course, now, we have many places where dogs are allowed. Toilet training and teething were the initial challenges, followed by finding a good vet and grooming place.
The author is a fitness professional, Moving Body Studio, Bengaluru