Farewell

16th October 1998. I still remember this day very clearly. Dad and me were looking out for a pet doberman.But we weren't successful in finding one. Somehow, we got to know of a place in Andheri and decided to have a look and go there.
We got to the place and there were 2 tan colored doberman pups. The lady there said that they were born on 15th August 1998 and now old enough to be given away. Of the 2, one was more playful and were naughty. We decided to take that one in and with that entered into my life a friend with whom I spent many years of my life.
We named him Jerry and slowly he started becoming an integral part of our lives. Sitting on the sofa for a moment, then jumping down and going to the kitchen, the running after grabbing a slipper and so on..a bundle of energy, never tiring. He was rarely tied in the house, except when guests were around. Even then, if they were staying for a long time,they would get used to seeing Jerry roaming around.
For a playful dog, he was very intelligent too. I have seen pets growl at their owners when eating, but never Jerry. We could lift his bowl while he was eating after telling him "Theher ja, main kuch panaa hai". And he would wait like a gentleman (drooling of course) and then resume his eating after we put his bowl down. Again, it was Dad who used to take him to his walks. He had such a keen sense of time that he would start barking the moment it was 5 pm.Whether Dad was sleeping or doing something else, he would keep barking till Dad asked him to fetch his leash and then they would go out. The funny thing was that he would only bark at Dad to take him out, not mom or even me.
For him, I was only for playing. Jumping, wrestling and of course, sleeping in my bed, with my blanket in the cold seasons. But for all you people saying "uuugh", well he slept at near my feet, never ever near my face.
A very obedient dog, he was never ever scared of going to the doctor. He never bit or snapped the doctor when he was getting his shots or later when he was being treated. In fact, he even knew when we were arriving at his place, since he would try to get down before I could!!
The years kept on passing and passing like this. We never thought that he would have any health problems. But this year, it wasn't so good for him. Kidney infection and then a surgery to clean an infection in his ear. His doctor said that he is a fighter and he successfully made it, considering his age was 11 years.
But destiny had other plans, his infection got worse. We had no option but to get him operated again.
13th September 2009..it was his operation. For some reason, he was looking in bad shape that day. We got to the doctors clinic and waited for ages. Eventually he was operated upon. The doctor said that he had lost blood, but he will recover. I heaved a sigh of relief. After the doctor gave a go ahead, I took him home, little realizing that this would be his last journey home.
I reached home and opened the gates and placed him carefully near the door. He was looking stressed, but otherwise ok. The moment I opened the door of my house and picked him up and put him in the house, I felt a sudden chill. I shook him and he did not respond, I put food near him, he did not move at all. Fearing the worst, I called up his doctor. One of them was on her way. She came home and confirmed my fear. Jerry, my dog, my best friend, a family member was no more. It was in his will that kept him alive all through his final journey home. He wanted to pass away at the same place where he had stayed.
The doctor made arrangements for his cremation at Parel Animal Hospital.
With 2 of my friends, I went with Jerry, now wrapped inside a blanket. We cremated him there. All this, within a span of a day, a dear one snatched away from me.
I came home and packed away his stuff; I could not bear to see it. Even though I was not ready to believe it, he was no more. In a certain sense, a good thing was that he was relieved of his suffering. People now ask me whether I will keep another pet and when I say yes, they tell me. "Even though you know they won't live long", and I tell them that even though they leave us, their memories will linger on. So, I had to soldier on, thinking about the good times we spent together and all those golden moments. Till today, seeing the my footwear lying around, I instinctively hide them, thinking that Jerry will chew them, not realizing that he is no more. Yes, life does become cruel to you sometimes, but there is no option other than taking the blows.
Farewell, my dear friend. God Bless you. Hope you are in a better place.

Dedicated to Jerry, my friend. Born 15th August 1998, Died: 13 September 2009.