Chicken Soup for the Soul!

Recently, our good friends lost their 11-year-old dog in Chennai. It is a strange emotion and void that you feel when your pet dies. However, life moves on.

I wrote this piece seven years back.

Chicken soup for the soul!

After we lost our eight-year-old dog, Snowy, I could not bear the thought of bringing home another pet.

I remember the day clearly when we brought home one-month-old Snowy; the first couple of nights she slept snuggled in my lap and gradually she became my constant companion.

Most days, while I worked on my desk, she sat huddled close to me. Her daily walks, meals and her bath had become a part of my schedule. Often, when I worked till late, and due to hunger pangs, sneaked out for a mid-night snack, she followed me quietly. I assume; she knew she would get her share too.

However, that one night, last November, she did not follow me and when I looked around for her, I found her lying dead.

“Mom life has to go on”, consoled my daughter, Sonali from California. My thirteen year-old Shubhi had suddenly sounded like an adult, “Mom, she was lucky she did not suffer.” The vet had confirmed it was a cardiac arrest.

“Mischief”, the seven-week-old Cocker Spaniel came into our lives a month back.
The little pup with long hairy ears and a black coat sniffed around the house, as if he knew he had come home for good. A trip to the vet is all we needed to get us started on project “Mischief”.

A cane cot with checked-cushion was bought, along with a hairbrush and teething bones. I discovered that a red and white collar and leash had come hidden in Sonali’s luggage a fortnight back. Now, I knew the reason for closed-door sessions and all the heated debates for getting another pet.

“Mischief” lived up to his name and was quite a handful. Each day he tried out new ways to make a bigger mess.

However, one morning we found Mischief lying quietly in his cot. In the evening a worried family took him to the vet. “An injection is all he needs”, diagnosed the vet. But there was no improvement.

Finally, we went in for a second opinion. A blood test revealed parasites in his blood and an extremely low HB count of 3.5. “The pup needs anti-biotic, a protein-rich diet of chicken soup and a lot of nursing. If he survives we will be lucky,” said Dr Kharb, the vet.

We went back home with a heavy heart. With tears in my eyes, I served Mischief a bowl of chicken soup. It was his last chance to get back to life. To my amazement, Mischief sniffed and moved towards it with shaking legs. He lapped it up quickly and looked up at me, as if saying, “See, I am a survivor”.

Fortunately, tonics, a course of anti-biotic, regular meals of chicken-soup, and 24X7nursing got him back on his feet in the next couple of days.

Mischief is now back to his old ways. I hear myself say “No!” more often than anything else. But no threat seems to work on him.

I guess, his regular meals of chicken soup have added a new dimension to his personality. He is stronger and bolder. But I must admit he is also a “great survivor”.