Yesterday 7th June 2013- Gyppie passed
away after suffering for almost a week of Juandice. It all happened so fast and
so all of a sudden. When I saw him 3 days back, I sort of had the feeling that
he will not make it, but yesterday, he was doing much better! We fed him some
dog food suggested by the doctor which he ate willingly and also did not throw
up. We were so happy that he’s showing signs of recovery and was even
responding to us, like he always used to. But at the doctor’s clinic; he
suddenly collapsed…
Gyppie came into our lives out of the blue.
This nagging thought remains at the back of my head and seems to be unanswered every
time- What are the odds that a pet enters the family without anyone’s will and
makes a place in the hearts of not just the owners but so many more lives. Such
was our Gyppie! The maids of our house, dad’s work colleagues, neighbours,
friends and every single person connected with us has some story to tell about
our Gyppie.
Well Gyppie passing away is an incident, a
major incident, in our lives and over time, we will come to terms with it. But I
do not want to get over it, I don’t want to get over what he meant to us, what
he stood for. I want to remember Gyppie, not just as a pet who won our hearts
and entertained us. Gyppie stood for so much more and there are so many lessons
to be learnt from him-
All dogs are loyal, but our baby was
something else. If all of us are even 30 % as loyal as him, we can lead such
great lives. Gyppie did not even eat if one person is not in the house! He
loved everyone around him and everyone loved him, but he knew who his masters were
and no one was more important to him than them.
Gyppie owned property. His leash and his bowls,
that’s it. He was proud of his belongings, flaunting them and took care of them
too. Such modest needs and so happy they made him. He was the epitome of simple
living, we gave him toys, he shunned them, we gave him a bed, he hated it and
slept in all other possible places but the bed, we gave him expensive dog food,
he ate that only in dire times, mostly eating his boiled chicken and roti with
pleasure. He did not like his leash being thrown around and would pick it up
and place it gently and appropriately. And that’s the key, being materialist is
good and when you have lesser things, you value them more and really take care
of them too. Such a simple lesson, yet so important.
Gyppie greeted everyone with the same
enthusiasm and vigour every single day. Even if he saw it happening every day. Couples
go to work every day and come home at a fixed time every day. What would happen
if spouses and children greet each other, hug each other and are enthusiastic
about this event of homecoming and express this so openly every day? Just
imagine!
Gyppie did his work of guarding the house
diligently every minute. He enjoyed no weekends, no lunch hours, no coffee
breaks, his duty continued even in his sleep. So many times he has woken up in
the middle of the night, barking, hearing the sound of someone entering the
gates of our house.
He was expressive, he brought joy in our
lives, he was funny, oh! really funny, he was clean, he was understanding and
he was smart. Indeed its difficult being Gyppie! People who knew him will
know what I mean, also most will dismiss this as being over sentimental. But
the fact of the matter is that although we will miss his presence, it’s these
thoughts that I don’t want to let go of since this is what keeps him alive
within us.
