Till Death Do Us Unity

To some, dogs are all we have...

The past two week, I've been haunted by the Grim Keeper himself. It's been a morbid fortnight and I hope summer time brings a little sunshine of joy. Day by day for the past two weeks, I've lost one cute little fella to the cold winter of Calcutta and to top it all off, my dreams have been only about death. Mine, his, her's, them etc. You name it, they've died in my dreams in the last two weeks. I was even present at the Kennedy Assassination last Tuesday. And just this morning I was gunned down in a hospital, Godfather style! Took nine shots to put me down.

My mom once told me that her mom told her; dreaming of death is actually good luck, go figure. The elders had a sick sense of humor. Imagine your grandmother telling you bedtime stories from the crypt; "Goodnight sweetie, don't let the defibrillator bring you back to life"...

Just yesterday in the papers the above article was up. It's really sweet to see the bond between man and dog after the week I've been through. It makes you wonder, how much does your dog mean to you. The sentiment is of course; life goes on but who are we kidding here, it's not easy to bury unconditional love.

God = Love, Dog = Unconditional Love, Dog = God?

It is after all the same spelled backwards. So to answer the question;
If God had a name, what would it be and would you call it to his face? If you were faced with him in all his glory what would you ask if you had just one question?

Sit Bubu, sit....

She's A Smarty Wag Tail

Ode to my Butterscotch back home

Indian Shoemaker's Log

Stardate: Laces 4, Leather 2, Sole size 10

This week would mark a whole month of my "Stranger in Calcutta' episode. The experience has been bittersweet, something I can always look back and say; "Hey, that wasn't too bad, now was it?". Being chauffeured around like the President is definitely something I can get used to. And a Chai-walla who brings me the best tea I've ever tasted in the cutest little tea cups is above all; luxurious. A laundry man who gets my collars just the way I like 'em is the icing on the cake! If I had my way, Deepak and Shurjeet is coming home with me!

Heaven in a cup at 9am

But there are days I wanted to go from bed to airport straight but that's only normal cause there is no place like home. As I sit here to think about the journey thus far; Somewhere along the lines a few veins have gotten blurred and some swollen up and that 17 year old arrogant prick slipped into a coma. The bust of all that's happened in 2008 till 2010 has made my inner self a stronger person. Strong enough to wake that 17 year old up and tell him; "Haare bhai, challo! Thoda kaam karo!" and this time around, I've learned a trick or two to keep that prick in line.

Life Goes On

But not for some.....

When I first got here in Batanagar, Calcutta; I discovered a litter of puppies in the neighborhood. Actually I found just one guy; Joshua and he led me to his brothers and sisters. They were the cutest things on earth. They showed so much spunk and grit about them that my spirits were lifted every time I saw them. There were two black pups, two white with black patches, one brown and one white with brown patches. The six of them were the limelight of my evenings...

It had become a routine for me to save some of my dinner and give it to them and usually it's just 2 pieces of roti. But last night on my way back from dinner I discovered that Joshua and one of the black pups had died, the poor little fellows froze to death. It was so heart wrenching to see Joshua lay there still as ice.

Earlier, I had mentioned that there were two black pups, remember. Well now the remaining black pup which was inseparable from the other one has isolated itself. It is has given up on life and I'm guessing it misses the other black pup. Every time I think of this little fellow, who just won't give up on his twin, the tears just start pouring with no control. Dogs are truly heaven sent!

"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's"
-Mark Twain in 1899

The Bald And The Beautiful

I know about the Tooth Fairy but is there a Hair Fairy, cause I could make some serious money by the time I hit 40...!!! The description on the bottle says; hair loss is due to dust and damage to hair, improper diet, stress or hormonal imbalances. Aiyo dey, if that was a multiple choice question; I'd have to tick all 4...

Speaking of hair, I found a strand of Baby's fur in my camera bag. I miss that fur-ball...

Volunteers Wanted For A PETA Event...

On January 13, PETA Asia will be holding an eye-catching public education event to draw attention to the companion-animal overpopulation crisis and the importance of spaying and neutering.

In Malaysia, unwanted animals are often abandoned on the streets, joining countless other stray dogs and cats in a struggle to survive. Many of these animals starve to death, are injured or killed in fights, are hit by vehicles or are abused. Many more animals are euthanized in shelters because of a lack of good homes. Every time someone buys a dog or cat from a breeder or pet store, a homeless animal roaming the streets or waiting at an animal shelter loses a chance at finding a loving home.

The solution is as easy as ABC: animal birth control. Spaying one dog or cat can prevent countless births. Sterilized animals also live longer, healthier lives and are less likely to roam, fight or bite. We need your help to make these demos successful! Please contact me if you're able to help in any of the following ways:

• We need volunteers who can attend our event, dress up in costumes (provided) and assist us in speaking to the public.

• We need volunteers who can make follow-up calls to media outlets in Bahasa Malay. The calls need to be done the afternoon before and/or the morning of the demo. The calls are very simple and are just intended to verify that the media outlet has received our news release. We are grateful for any help with media calls – even five calls can make a big difference!
  

Please e-mail PETA representative and campaign manager at ashleyf@PETAAsiaPacific.com for more information on any of these projects.