DOG Or is it GOD spelt backwards?

DOG Or is it G O D spelt backwards? 

Molly at church asked me the other day,”Do you remember the black dog my father gave to you when you were kids in Trichy!”……..  There you go with the long memory among dog lovers!
 

A dog that lived for only 7 years is remembered after 45 years! That too in Coimbatore more than 200 km away from my home town!

As kids….

My sister and I grew up with a dog called Gilly in Trichy. She was a black friendly collie dog.  She used to roam out of the house onto the streets when we played marbles and flew kites. We used to sneak in all the unwanted food to her under the table during the chow times. My parents little knew who was eating the food.

Body language on seeing me return home -When she sees me leave for work

 

I had a BB airgun. I used to be generally nice to her except the only time I used to shoot  at her playfully with no pellets in the gun. The gush of noise from the air gun used to scare her and she used to retreat deep under the beds and finally in frustration growl at me. My sister when she discovered this dog abuse used to complain to my parents, who would end the matter quickly by removing the air gun!

Now .….

Since then,  we have always had a dog at home.

In fact, we have had many dogs. Dogs live for 8-10 years. We have had sometimes 3-4 dogs at a time. They are part of family. They have their boundaries – some are allowed inside the house and some not.

Basic rule

The basic rule for any dog loving home is that the lady of the house must love dogs. This love sometimes translates to cuddling with the dogs, allowing them to lie on sofas and beds. I really do not believe this is a good idea as they do have communicable diseases despite the best of veterinary attention.

The mistress of the house has a lot of responsibilities such as regular feeding, care of the dogs, trips to the vet, looking after them when they are sick. In fact she has to treat them as she would treat her own child – not just stop with cuddling and feeding.

Dogs do have empathy for each other and for us. When they are not well, they lie down next to each other in sympathy. They also understand when humans are not well or depressed ; act appropriately sad and less active.

Part of family

Our children were picked up in school by my wife and sometimes the dogs would share the ride too. We had to change to a bigger vehicle – Scorpio – mainly to make trips to the veterinary surgeons for immunization!

Dogs love walks. If they see you taking the leash out, they get so excited knowing you are going to take them out of the house.

 Unique feature of all the dogs, they love human company. When you leave the house to be away from them, they miss you. When you come back, there is so much happiness in them. You forget all your worries for the day when you return home!

Not only the good breeds but also all the dogs depending on their size will assess threat to you, guard you and either bark or attack or bite or give up their life for you depending on the situation.

Each breeds has its own innate quality of the behavior . Some like German Shepherd dogs are easy to train and are obedient to commands. Great Dane pups can be large and unruly; may be difficult to train. But all of them love long walks or run around in open spaces. The larger dogs tend to need more spaces to run around and spend their energy.

Children who grow up with dogs in the families are known to be kinder to animals and other humans. They also have less allergic manifestations as they exposed to dogs at a much tender age.

Do dogs resemble their owners?

I see pictures on the net of dogs and the resemblance to the owners. More than looks, the behavior of the master and the dog can be similar!

If the dog is brought up with frequent visitors at home, they are docile. If they are brought up tied up in the back of the house with no exposure to strangers, they tend to be hostile.

Do dogs have personalities?

Each dog whatever breed can its own behavior. We had a mongrel who used to sneak out of the house and return after many hours. He had many friends in the locality. Most of our others dogs have been well behaved.

We have had several German shepherd dogs who are allowed inside the house. They patiently lie down by the side of the table when we are eating. Not once salivate at the food ; but then they generally eat earlier than us!... and very often better food too!

We have also had Great Danes who salivate at food, capable to snatching food by climbing on your lap.

We had a mongrel which once followed my wife’s car for 2 km when someone stopped the car and pointed it out. Since then she used to watch out for the dog in the rear view mirror; and if it followed, she used to let her inside the car.

The negatives? Of keeping dogs

Dogs are animals. On the internet, you see so many dogs on beds lovingly licking children on the face. We know where the dogs faces/tongues have been. I cannot imagine why anyone would allow the same tongue to lick the face of a child.

Ticks are picked up by the dogs during walks. They climb onto the dogs and once inside the house they can climb onto the walls and humans. They cause tick borne fevers which cause brain fever.

Dogs with worms in the feces can cause tape worm infestation of the human  liver , lungs, brain and the such. It is important that hand cleaning, rather scrubbing after touching the dog. Being a surgeon, I do this religiously. A good habit to inculcate after touching dogs!  

Let's not forget rabies!

Many dogs are walked by the owners on the road. I tend to take them out for walks after they do their poo at home. Contaminating the outside is not a good idea. Dogs tend to pass urine whenever they go out to mark the territory- nothing you can do about it.

My dogs are well behaved (generally!) on the road. But I notice many bikers honking at them, trying to scare them. This shows more of animal behavior of the humans rather than the other way around.

Are dogs expensive to maintain?

Dogs need your time. They need bonding with human presence. 

As to the immunization, like children they need the schedule of injections, visits to the doctor and treatment of any sickness periodically. If one does not have the time or the resources, dogs will suffer and that will never do.

Why is dog (wo)man’s best friend?

Dogs will love you more than themselves or other friendly dogs.

Dogs depend on you for food, walks, petting, company and when they are sick.

Dogs forgive you for any mistakes you might do inadvertently or otherwise. If you step on the tail by mistake, it might yelp at you. If you shout at her, she may hide for a while, but return the moment you call her back. 

Dogs judge your mood by the tone of your voice rather than what you actually say. Dogs have a short term memory especially when you are annoyed with them.

Dogs are not judgmental. You may be a prince or a pauper. For your dog, you are the king and master. He always will look up to you. You may be right or wrong – but for you him, you are always correct and can never be wrong!

Dogs are always loyal to you. Unlike human who keep changing their loyalties to the more powerful folks, dogs never change loyalties.

Dogs give their lives for you in face of imminent danger, where many humans will hesitate.

Dogs love humans in general.  Some think that dogs have evolved from wolves. For centuries, dogs have worked in close proximity with humans and provided to companionship. Sledge dogs in the Antarctic regions are good examples. Dogs are not cats which are miniature predators.  Dogs have a history of symbiotic, unique relationship which has matured between the species over the centuries. 

A dog tends to have more loyalty to one particular person in the family as evidenced by the German shepherd dog which tends to follow the master. In the absence of the master, she would follow the mistress or a senior member of the household.  Naturally the actual loyalty and the loving nature of the animal vary with individual dogs and only general statements can be made.

Other functions of dogs

Dogs apart from being treated as family members can be used as 

seeing eye dog for the blind (Labradors, German Shepherd Dogs), 

• rescue dogs (St Bernard), 
• bomb squad dogs, 
• drug sniffers,
• airport dogs for food (Beagle), 
• guard dogs in police and army (Great Danes, GSD), 
• show dogs (Collies), 
• comfort dogs in hospitals (Labradors), 
• Fire service dogs (Dalmatians) and
• in many more situations.