Lost Dog

 

Governments build nice and clean footpaths and sidewalks, but how many of us walk over it these days? I was walking on a stretch this evening for about two kilometers, when a funny thing happened.

I noticed a little shadow behind me and when I looked, I was in for a surprise. There was a dog following me. After I saw him, he came right besides me and started running or walking there with me. I felt strange. And a bit scared. Then I noticed that it was really a big size dog; white; and it had a rubber collar on his neck. While I was walking at a consistent speed, he was almost running for a while, and then going slow, then catching up. It was very clear that he was planning to walk besides me. I wondered if he was mistaking me for someone else he knew. I felt guilty of deceiving him and thought of ways to make it clear that I was not his friend. So much for clarity! After a while, it became clear that I did not need to fear him, since he was someone’s pet and he was purposefully walking besides me, perhaps seeking my protection. I also noticed that while running, he was looking at the buildings on the roadside, as if trying to recognize places. Was he searching for his home? Was he lost? Or worse, abandoned? I started feeling bad for him. It was clear that he was lost, and he was just going that way searching for a place he knew. I started feeling very-very sad for him. Then, it got worse.

We all know that dogs have territories. So, I and the lost dog reached a corner which ‘belonged’ to another dog! There were two of them. One of them had lots of furs, and again seemed abandoned since stray dogs can’t be furry I guess; while the other was lame, with one leg hurt, perhaps in some dog-fight or some drunk human tried to run over him just for fun. Those two dogs saw this big white dog walking besides me and started barking at him. My heart started pounding. Was there going to be a street-dogfight? Was I going to be the poor meddling victim in the war of the dogs? I tried to shout and shoo away those two dogs, but they were unfazed and came very close. I decided that no matter how much I empathized with my big white lost dog friend, I was not ready to get injured protecting him. So, I stopped and moved towards a tea shop on the roadside. The white dog was now all alone, so the two territorial dogs started barking at him from very close distance. A scuffle could start anytime; and then the big white lost dog also barked back at those two. He had a heavy voice! Certainly, this royal big white lost dog was up to his mark. The two smaller stray dogs got a bit scared and stopped chasing him; and he kept walking. After realizing that the place was now safe and I was alone once again, I left my hiding place and went on walking.

After about 10 minutes, when I reached a roundabout and took a turn, I saw that the big white lost dog was still walking straight while searching for some building or home. Since we parted ways, I can only imagine and wonder if he ultimately found his home or if he had hard time running like that being hungry and thirsty, and entering the ‘territories’ of other stray dogs one after the other. I don’t know how his journey ended; was it happy ending or not. But I remember how sad I felt for him. And for this world.

May God have mercy on all of us.  

- Rahul