K-9 tales

Late one evening out in the driveway cruises a rally red Skoda Octavia that blazes the green turf.It was drizzling outside and my friend stepped out and opened the rear door.What a surprise....a basket full of that.4 fluffy Labrador pups just under a month old, from a litter of absolutely pedigree parents.They were tired and hungry and were waiting to land in the warm hands of the next doting parents they longed to be.Who else but us.The fawn colored male, with droopy eyes and innocence flowing all over was the apple of the eye.It cuddled up quickly and licked my face all over till i realized that this was the start of a 8 year long association that became an obsession.Ginger is what we christened him and my daughters and my wife doted on him completely.He was a riot from day one and used every opportunity to slip into every corner around the house and play hide and seek.He snuggled himself in the bed and looked like a stuff toy that fell asleep.The days went by and his training and walk habits made us go for the walk that we had been avoiding due to sheer laziness.Days passed into months and then years and he grew up to be a handsome hunk flaunting his macho image but subtly.He showered so much of love and affection that he not being around for even a few minutes would make us miss him .We gave him a dozen nick names so much so that he responded more to them than his own name.Sheer innocence and playfully faithful.His way of getting things done i didn't learn even in B -school and impressing the folks at home or around was his forte.Visiting the vets and taking a certificate of appreciation from them was almost a habit.No special demands and if we were to leave him and go out that "take me too please" look in his eyes just blackmailed us.Ready to jump in the Innova we bought keeping solely him in mind he enjoyed every ride and sat on the front passenger seat as if he owned it and was chauffeur driven by me.It was his and will always be his.Till the day that we all dread that he decided to leave us and settle in paradise.Not a word of complaint, no trouble and no last minute dash to the vets, quietly and peacefully he lay by our side and bid us farewell.35 kgs of love and million tonnes of loyalty and affection that he left behind are enough to last us a lifetime.Can any one take his place?Do i continue the saga and try to find my GINGER IN SOME ONE ELSE.The arfs and bow wows are no longer heard , the stray dogs outside our bungalow are the only solace and keep us engaged in order to disengage from his memories that are so fresh that at every step one can feel and experience his presence .God bless him and we all wish to thank him for the wonderful time he spent with us and became an eternal member of this family--Ginger Datar