MIGHTY

MY

MIGHTY

Mighty – How mighty the name sounds!

It was summer holidays time in May 1994. I was back home at Bitragunta from a trip to Bangalore, along with my mom and sister, after finishing my 7^th standard. My dad came home soon after and asked us if we had seen our new pet. We curiously replied, “No, we didn’t see”. Then he called out, “Mighty! Mighty!” We were excited to see our new puppy! Then came like a huge rolling football… OUR MIGHTY! I was actually visualizing the picture of a cute little puppy, which I can cuddle in my palms, just like the ones I used to see on streets. But to my astonishment, he looked more like a black rolling bear rather than a puppy. He belongs to the German Shepard breed (also known as Alsatian). He was born on 26^th March 1994. He was the first pup to open his eyes and see this black & white world,  among the ones born in that batch. ( For dogs, life is like a black & white film; they can’t see colours.) His mother was a champion in the dog show conducted at district level and looked short and sweet with a lot of fur. His father was a six time district champion and I guess, Mighty inherited his father’s mighty looks and features.  

Portrait of
MIGHTY

Then onwards, Mighty became a part of our family. In fact, I used to introduce him to my friends as my brother. Even in my college days, whenever I was asked to tell my family members’ names, never did I forget to mention the name, ‘Mighty’. In his beginning days, dad used to feed him cerelac cereal. He used to take care of him just like a new born baby. By his 7^th month, Mighty had grown full size, looking mightier and much more handsome. We already had another dog at home called ‘Tony’, which belongs to some cross-breed from Bangalore. He was a moody and short-tempered dog. He started feeling jealous of his new rival. Mighty was a sweet-natured dog and always tried to be friends with Tony. Tony became old by then and expired soon after a year.

Mighty was such a fun-loving dog………………… We used to play hide and seek with him. Sometimes, after playing for a while, I used to get tired and take rest on the couch. Thinking I was still in the game (that I hid somewhere), he used to come over there and search under the couch, behind the couch, only later to be taken by surprise to see me sitting over the couch. We used to have a hearty laugh… He is also fond of ‘plate game’. The game goes like this……… He would catch his plate in his mouth and we were supposed to chase him to get hold of the plate. During this process, he used to make a lot of irritating noise with the steel plate being thrown here and there. One day, I got annoyed by that sound and I kept the plate out of his reach. He came to me and pleaded me to give it back. But I denied. He got angry and went back to his place sitting quietly. Later, on seeing his plight, though I gave him back the plate, he was not pleased. That was the only time, I remember, he got angry with me. 

 

The Famous
PLATE GAME

When he was small, we also had a kitten named “Maggi” at home. Mighty was a very loving dog that they both became good friends in no time. Mighty and Maggi – both used to drink milk in the same plate, used to play with each other,  used to sleep at the same place. There was nothing like the typical dog and cat rivalry. Maggi was also equally interesting. She loves to eat coconut and mangoes. Wherever she was, as soon as we open the refrigerator door for mangoes, she used to appear in front of us. My mother has the custom of breaking coconut every Saturday as a part of ‘pooja’. The moment she used to take the coconut in her hands to break it, Maggi used to appear with its mouth wide opened, saying “Meow!”. So funny! Spending time with pets is such a stress-buster! Recollecting those memories is also equally stress-relieving.

Mighty was so fond of having bath! Whenever daddy took a sachet of shampoo in his hands for his own bath, Mighty used to think that it was meant for himself and used to go and sit under the tap. After a refreshing bath, he immediately used to run to the balcony to show off his freshly shampooed mane to his street friends. Within no time, again he used to get dirty by playing under the trees in the mud, making mud markings at home with his paws. Having a pet at home is like having a small child. So mischievous and so fun-filling! 

MIGHTY ENJOYING A REFRESHING BATH

MIGHTY QUENCHING HIS THIRST
BY DRINKING TAP WATER

His favourite festival is Diwali. Unlike other dogs which are normally scared of crackers’ sound, Mighty just loves them. Rockets are his all-time favourite. He used to chase the rockets, come back to us and ask for more. He would try to catch the smoke coming from Diwali bombs. Diwali is incomplete without Mighty’s presence!

ENJOYING DIWALI WITH MIGHTY



MIGHTY ENJOYING DIWALI

I was always envious of Mighty. I used to think how happy and bindaas his life is! No need to study…. No exams! No tensions! Stress-free life!

During his childhood, he was very fond of lunch time. When dad was preparing his lunch, he used to go out to the gate and bark loudly and come back wagging his tail, as if he was saying, “Look Boss! I am doing a great job! I am barking more… So you have to feed me more…” But, later on, he developed a strange habit during his lunch / dinner time. That is………. somebody needs to narrate a story to him; otherwise he wouldn’t eat!  He also needed a dining table (a small stool) on which the plate had to be kept. He was so lazy to bend and reach the plate, if kept on floor. At times, daddy used to sprinkle biscuit pieces over the rice, to make him eat, but in vain. He just used to eat those bits of biscuits and leave the rice as such. One day, whatever tricks dad had tried, he was not ready to have his food. It was already 11 ‘O’ clock at night. Then dad requested my mother to wake up my sister to tell stories to Mighty. My mother replied that she was tired after studying and that she wouldn’t wake her up. My dad got so angry with this answer that he had thrown the T.V. down on the floor. It broke into pieces. I was at hostel during that time. Hearing this story, I asked my mom what her reaction was. She replied that she had immediately kept the Video Player inside, lest it would also be thrown. Finally, after all these heated arguments and throwing’s, my dad came out to see that Mighty had finished his dinner at the cost of a T.V.

MIGHTY'S LUNCH TIME /
AKA STORY TIME

But Mighty loves snacking on junk foods like murukku, papad, doughnuts etc. He loves coca-cola also. Daily at 5:00 P.M. sharp, even if we forget the time, he would not.  As soon as the clock would struck 5 ‘O’ clock in the evening, he would come with his tail wagging and roam around the dining table, where the snacks were usually kept. He never needed a plate for snacks. As soon as the cookie was thrown, he would instantaneously jump and catch it in air. That sight of catching the cookie is surely a treat for one’s eyes! I always wondered whether he was afraid if the air would swallow his piece of cookie.  

THE MIGHTY CATCH

Mighty never needed a chain or leash to tie him up or to take him for a walk. We never purchased one. Dad used to take him out for a walk at least two or three times in day. Mighty was so fond of going for a walk with daddy. If dad says, “Come”, he would follow. If he says, “Stop”, he would stop. If there were some new guests at home who were scared on seeing dog, all we needed to do was to say, “Mighty! Go and sit in the balcony.” He would just follow the order. He was such a disciplined dog! He understands almost every word we utter. Sometimes, I used to wonder, if God had implanted a human brain in Mighty.

There was one laundry boy who always used to make fun of Mighty. He used to dance and make funny faces from the road only to annoy him. One day, he was as usual at his amusing job of irritating him, standing in front of our house. Mighty, who was in the first floor, within no time, reached the fence downstairs and put his massive paw over his hand, which he laid on the compound wall. From that day onwards, he was not seen anywhere nearby. He was such a ferocious dog that his barking sound could be heard even beyond a distance of a kilometre.

If anybody crossed the gate of our home and enter inside, he would take it for granted that they were our guests and he would pleasingly welcome them and show them the way to enter home. One day, it so happened that a thief jumped into our back yard and ran away soon after. But Mighty who was sitting there, didn’t bark at him! Perhaps, he took him for a guest!

Mighty was such a loyal dog! Even if dad was at a distance of 100 metres away, he could sense his master’s arrival and would become alert with his ears raised up. Daily when my sister and myself come home after school, he would give us such a grand welcome by jumping on us, making us dirty, licking us, pulling our dresses, wagging his tail……..as if he had seen us after a very long time! That was such a grand and loving welcome I had ever received!

When I was at hostel during my college days, my mom used to bring my used clothes to home for laundry. Immediately, Mighty used to smell my bag of clothes and used to search for me everywhere, thinking that I was there around and I was playing hide and seek. Whenever my mother used to shout at me or for that matter, speak something loudly, he used to bark at my mother, as if he was supporting me. Such was his love for me…. Such a self-less love I had ever received from anybody!

I finished my college and came back home in April 2003. As soon as we came home at mid-night, I inquired about Mighty. Dad said that it was already late in the night and that we would meet him the next day. The next morning, dad took him to his place, where there was a photograph of playful Mighty, below which the words were written, “Mighty! Good Bye… forever. We miss you”.  



MIGHTY... GOOD BYE....
FOREVER...

Mighty is gone forever! I was aghast and I asked my dad when it had happened. Then he replied, “The very next day after you called me up over phone and said you had a bad dream that Mighty had died”. Then I remembered – Two months back - one day, early in the morning, I had a bad dream that Mighty was dying. I was worried and immediately went to STD booth to make a call to my dad and enquired about Mighty. Dad ensured me that he was alright, with the fear, that I would be disturbed during my examinations time. Mighty was already suffering from paralysis of hind legs during his last few months. He was almost immobile. He used to moan and groan that he wanted to climb the stairs to reach us in the first floor of our house. Having all these random thoughts in my mind, perhaps, I got such a dream. Perhaps, that was his last meeting with me, before leaving this world. Perhaps, that was his way of saying his last good bye to me!

Ironically, he died on 24^th February, which happens to be my sister’s Birthday, just a month before his 9^th birthday. During his last days, he endured a lot of suffering, with worms attack, probably, due to continuous contact with ground.  Dad even thought of an option to see the veterinary doctor to give him euthanasia (mercy-killing) in order to relieve him from his prolonged pain and suffering. Dad was mainly worried about how to feed him poison with the same hands that had fed him cerelac. But the need never came. He breathed his last, naturally, without the need of euthanasia. On his last day, he was almost in a coma, without eating anything. Dad tried to get and feed him his favourite ice-cream, but he laid down with his eyes closed forever.

Mighty was not just another pet around! He was not just another chapter in my life! He is much more than that…..  After 10 long years of his demise, the memories are still so fresh and alive, as if he is still there running around us……….. Such unconditional love one can never ever receive from any human being! 

MIGHTY'S CUTE POSE TO CAMERA
He loves posing to Photographs!

Memories of his birthdays we used to celebrate every year still linger in our minds! How he used to enjoy and chase the Diwali Rockets! Every Diwali, the first rocket I light up is a tribute to you Mighty! 

This article is an attempt to engrave the days spent with you Mighty…

………for making my days of life so special!

Mighty, we miss you!

Your love stays with us forever, ever and ever!