Dobbie.....My Best friend.. who loved me the most!
Yesterday , it was after one and a half month that I was missing him too much . So much , that it was impossible for me to even think about the new year approaching . This was because the day before I saw a beautiful movie " Marley and Me"It was about a Labrador Dog . Suddenly , I received a call from Neeti ,she lives in my colony . She told me she was bringing ''Bamby" home .
It was amazing to play with him , when I said, "sit" he sat quietly looking at my face , his tail could not stop wagging and he dint stop licking my hand . Of course , Bamby loved me and was very happy as usual to meet me.I tried to find "him" in Bamby but he wasn’t there . Bamby ,is My Dog- Dobbie's Friend (I would not say Best friend).
My grandma Expired after a long illness in February 2008, we were left lonely . Me , my dad , mom and Gaurav, my brother sitting in front of each other .A Very important part of our family had gone away leaving us behind. I was at home around that time , I had just completed my college and my job joining was pending . In short I was left alone - The most . Sitting at home killed me . It was then when I took one of the 1st and the strongest sole decisions of my life . I decided to bring a Puppy home . I Wanted to Pet a dog . My parents would not have allowed and I knew it , but my brother supported . One afternoon while sitting with dad I just got up to take a decision and threw my mud money bank on the floor , shouted loud to call my brother to pool in and left to buy a dog , I knew I wanted Brown Labrador and I got it .
The 1st time I saw him , he directly looked into my eyes. He looked so innocent . Trying to say "I have no body please take me home" -Bloody Culprit. As soon as we told the pet shop owner that he looked sad and we wanted a healthy and a playful dog , the owner opened the cage lock and he was out . To our surprise it was as if he had gone mad , he ran from one corner to the other and started jumping on us . He went to all other cages where there were other dogs and banged with his claw as if he was trying to tell that he was free and he got a family. I knew I wanted him .He was just too over excited and playful , full of extreme emotions , he was immediately a part our family Before we could accept him he had already accepted us .
Dobbie , the name by the way was the biggest challenge for us , Hindi or English , funny or sober we were just so confused all my friends came in one by one , most of them scared as he never stopped jumping onto them. We finally decided to be least innovative and just replace "gg" for doggie with "bb".
He was all over ,with me ,beside me , for me . He never left my sight. Slowly and slowly he changed my life .I became like his mother taking care of him, it came naturally to me as I thought it was my responsibility. From getting up in morning the “exact particular time” and taking him for a walk , to feeding him Cerelac as a kid, it was a whole new experience .
With 1000 rupee pocket money I got his vaccination done and got his bones and loved the feeling of spending on him. What I remember clearly was when I took him for his 1st vaccination . He was so happy he dint know what was going to happen , but I had heard that dogs usually fall ill and they feel a lot of pain for few days after the vaccinations . He as usual very happily on one call of mine " Dobbie chalo gari main " came running . He loved travelling in the car he understood the word "gari" and many more like metro , khana ,sleep , sit ,eat , haddi etc . He was an intelligent and a very quick learner . The car trips he enjoyed , with his head stuck out and feeling the cool breeze with eyes closed. In the doctors clinic he was a good dog he obeyed me and to doctors surprise he said he is indeed a good breed and very obedient dog . Very quickly his injection was done and he was as happy and playing . . To weight him i had to pick him up in my lap and then stand on the weighing machine .It was funny he was so much a part of me that his weight was found out after subtracting from mine . He never ever fell ill. Even when he has ticks he never had fever... he always was as happy and playful , excited and healthy.
Years ago when we were kids I remember my friends coming up the stairs to ring our door bell and calling “Aunty will Sonal and Gaurav come to play”. Now , 7 to 10 kids with a football in their hands came to ring the door bell “Aunty will Dobbie come to play with us .” Some how with dogs and their 6th sense they always knew who is going to be there on the door . he ran down the stairs before the children did , Mum used to get afraid if he could by mistake harm the kids by pouncing on them , so huge a dog and he used to comfortably play with so many kids. Running from one corner of the park to other behind the football . He loved kids and playing with them he never got tired and never ever tired.
Slowly he grew up , my mum who was so scared of the small puppy and touched him with a rolled up newspaper now became friends with him she would now not be afraid of putting her hand into his mouth and taking out our important stuff which he used to pick up and run in order to play . When sometimes in the morning when i avoided getting up and dobbie kept touching softly with claw half over the bed on which i was lying ,trying to wake me up softly with his moaning sound , I would shout at him and say "Dobbie let me sleep ,you Go and Sleep " he would quietly go down and sit , looking at me from a corner waiting for me to wake up and after half an hour he tried again by touching me with his claw and telling me to get up and take him out for walk.
He had unique ways of communicating with me. when ever he used to be thirsty he never barked , He quietly entered the washroom and sat near a tap , and kept looking at me . I always knew what he was trying to say as he very easily conveyed it to me .When he was hungry he never cried he quietly Sat near the kitchen and touched mum feet trying to tell her he wanted food . When he wanted to go down he pulled his leash and gave it in my hand . the maximum times he got a beating from me was when in the night when everyone used to be fast asleep he used to reach the kitchen and sniff around for something , it was as if his teething had never ended. He chew my wallets , dads spectacle case , our sleepers our relatives sleepers , plastic bottles everything he found lying stray in the night . he picked up and took them to his house , we used to call the terrace – the dobbie’s house .if something was missing the first thing we checked out was the terrace .it was always left open for him , he could anytime go and relax specially in the rains of summers and when he used to be very tired after play.what he loved chewing was the bones we got for him .the sparkle in his eyes was remarkable as if he could not be more happier . when ever we had to go out somewhere and he dint let go , we used to give a bone and then slowly sneak out of our own house . once I remember, we were going for a wedding in the night and we all were standing near the car , dobbie came to balcony and he knew we would be going from there , he kept looking at us till we went away .
When we used to be away and mum was alone at home , he always used to accompany mum where she went .Washing clothes , sleeping , taking bath, everywhere . He thought she was alone , and he was conscious , he knew he had to be with her all the time .
The time I remember the most is when at home me and dobbie used wait for every one Gaurav Mum and Dad to return from their workplaces.We had started the renovation work and there were laborers and workers all over . Me and my dobbie used to tackle them get things done . I felt a sense of inner security even though I was alone as I knew dobbie was with me . Though he was not dangerous and never even barked at any 3rd person for no reason, but still I felt someone was with me and this support made me cross the most difficult time of my life till now.
When I used to be sad and low sometimes, he used to know from somewhere that I was not in high spirits very mystically he used to just barge onto me and slyly and put his two legs on my lap and sit. He dint have to say anything he just used to know that when he would get on to me in my lap , I will have to love him , and after loving him I would be fine .Somewhere he was right he being there with at those times I felt he understood me and without saying a word I was all fine .for the 1 and half year he had never let ne body fight he bark at any one who shouts in family or screams . he was peaceful soul who loved everyone . My father was very jealous of him at times, because whenever he tried to hug me , dobbie used hate it ,and used bark, for dobbie I was only his …. he could not share me .
One fine day 18 months of age he just left us , like every day he went to the terrace in the night after telling me that he was going at three in the night. When I reached the terrace in the morning to take him for walk he was lying there still ....and then he never got up. He just left me and he went away .we dint know how when why it happened , but he just left us and went away . again a very important part of our family had gone away .
He was there when I needed him , and I wasn’t there may when he needed me.
He loved me . I miss him because now there is no one to hug me when I come back from office , there is no one to wake me up when I sleep endlessly , no to come running to me when I say the name dobbie . there is no one to look into my eyes and say that he is always there .
The thing I miss the most is wheather it’s Bamby, Romieo, Mogambo etc , but My Dobbie Was My Dobbie . No matter which ever pet I bring home next , its never gonna be My Dobbie .
Dobbie.....My Best friend.. who loved me the most !
