My memories of dogs - Part I

Why about dogs??

Why about dogs? Why not? After all there are things which make strong impressions in life. Dogs also have left memories and strong impressions in life!

Earliest memory of a Dog

My earliest memory of a dog is around 40+ years ago!

DOGS! I have mixed feelings and emotions about them. I remember my paternal Grand Uncle having a German Shepherd aka Alsatian. My interactions with him were few and far between over 7-8 years! But he left my childish memories with things I could not forget even after 40+ years!

Mickey (his name after Mickey mouse? I am not sure. Grand Uncle used to call him Mickey Fernandes also :)) was notorious for biting people wearing pants or saree or shorts. In short men, women and children from outside were unsafe. He had no gender disparity :). I heard later that his aversion to kids wearing shorts was because of some street boys and newspaper boys had thrown stones at him! How cruel and lousy!

I was 5 or 6 years old when this happened as my parents took me to Grand Uncle's place. There was a yard in front and they let me play there assuming Mickey the Alsatian was in kennel and locked as usual during day time!

Grand Uncle who was upstairs came down hearing my parents voices. My parents were having my young sister inside with them, so Grand Uncle asked why I was not with them. Father responded that I was out in the yard playing.

Grand Uncle went pale and said Mickey is not locked! Father and G. Uncle raced out along with everyone! Knowing Mickey's nature they were really scared what might have happened!

Meanwhile I was looking at a tree and the temple pond which was right opposite the house and being in an elevated area it was visible. Then I sat down with some different leaves on the swing seat. When I heard patter of paws. Mickey was standing in front of me! I looked at him smiled and said in my mother tongue, Malayalam, showing beside me, sit here.

My memory is that Mickey blinked and looked at me as I ignored him and got up and picked few more fallen multi colored leaves and sat down on the floor. Mickey came and sat down near beside me and lay on his paws as I showed the leaves to him and put them by color on the floor! I got bored and then I touched Mickey's nose. He sort of showed his teeth like laughing! I laughed and then touched his ears and leaned across him to touch and hold both his ears!!

That was when all rushed out and came to a skidding stand still seeing this scene! Grand Uncle was stunned and then they all laughed and said so much for the ferocious Mr. Mickey.

Mickey was there till I was 14 years old. I remember a few days before he passed away I went to Grand Uncle's and as usual I went to say Hello to him. He was unable to get up but still bared his tooth for a grin (he had lost some teeth already). I had a habit of going to him and prattling away and he used to sit grinning in the kennel.

He had mellowed a lot but still he had bitten a few obnoxious people so he was kept in the kennel mostly during day time. But by then he was old and moving was a problem. Grand Uncle would feed him before he had his breakfast, lunch or dinner. I remember Mickey trying to get up when I neared the kennel to come out and as usual for my few minutes of chat.

But he was unable to! That was when it felt to me that he may not be with us much long! He left within 5 days! Grand Uncle buried him and put a piece of stick which I believe someone wrote his name.

Mickey was a friend among canines and my first close encounter. Grand Uncle passed away in a few more weeks. The family then had a few more dogs, Pomeranians, Pekinese!! Some funny stories about them also but that is for later!

My first memory and fond memory was of the big burly Alsatian Mickey and it is a fond memory with a few tears as strangely I miss him even now! A rare feeling of bond towards that ferocious person called Mickey, I cannot think of him as a dog.