1. Are You Ready?

Of course, you are ready to adopt and to be a pet parent. Don’t you want to be loved and licked? Don’t you want all that extra attention? Don’t you want someone waiting for you at home? Don’t you wish for an understanding companion? Don’t you desire for a capable bodyguard? Don’t you want your own customised friend, philosopher and guide? Dogs are our best coping strategies in this life of twists and turns. A pat and a lick is all you need to pull you out of that depression, that disease, that dementia, that dread, that despair which afflicts life like a hydra refusing to die.

Modern life is full of stress and loneliness. Dogs make the absurdities of life bearable and adds meaning to existence. We all look for a purpose, for what is life if not a journey looking for a purpose. A pet dog adds purpose to a life of drifting. It is an anchor made of strong emotions and simple bonds of love and caring. It is your root that goes deep into that world of compassion which keeps your trunk straight up and sheltered even when the world is being wrecked by storms. It is that cocoon, that space of non-judgmental acceptance and acknowledgement which we all desire and deserve.

You are just another mortal to everyone but to your dog you are Superman or Wonder Woman, in fact all DC and Marvel superheroes and heroines rolled into one. You are the pack leader to your pooch and even if the world abandons you, your dog will follow you to Heaven or Hell till the end. We have our social networking accounts and we have our followers and friends, but nobody follows you as your dog. You are your dog's universe and the God or Goddess who commands that universe. Your dog will pull you out of any dungeon and dash ahead of you and then come running back to you compelling you to find pleasure in the basics of life, in the things that really matter.

Modern techno-centric life is all about being sedentary and being open to the possibility of numerous lifestyle diseases. We know what needs to be done but still remain shackled to a life-threatening lifestyle. Your dog will be the key to unlock a new world that you have always dreamt of but never had the inspiration to step in. A dog is a bundle of activity and you can’t doze in a cocoon of a couch potato if your dog wants you to go out and sniff at the world. A dog sniffs and soaks in the smells of life. You learn from your dog simple ways of living a fulfilling life soaking it in, in its totality and vitality living life in the moment.

If you need a companion who allows you to be you and who allows you to enjoy the sunset in silence, then a dog can do you justice. A dog does lick, and a dog does use its muzzle to cuddle but a dog also sits with you to appreciate the good things in life. It will be there for you to pat but it won’t demand your attention to break the magic silence of the moment. The jumping and licking dog is not the only reality of a dog. The silent and attentive dog curled up at your feet is as much a reality as a dog that comes running towards you at the end of the day when you come home.

Now, it might seem to you that this is a sales campaign or a manifesto of a political party trying to sell you a rosy future – a future crafted by you and your dog. Well, then it must be said that this is no sales propaganda. There are also cons to the relationship. The first one is that dogs are neither machines nor wolves living in a forest, meaning a dog must be fed; and when they eat, they must also produce poop. Feeding and cleaning the poop are very important responsibilities. Does your schedule have space for that? Do you live alone? Do you travel a lot? Who will take care of your dog in your absence? These questions are of paramount importance.

A dog is not a self-cleaning machine. A dog will do what you train it to do. But inspite of all the training, it still might vomit on the sofa and urinate on your bed. Are you ready for that? It will chew your sandal and tear your bed cover. Are you open to that experience? It will severely restrict your ability to travel unhindered from one place to another. Are you willing to accept that reality? It will consume a sizable amount of your valuable time. Do you have the time? Your dog will compromise your ability to enter a good restaurant or a good mall or a good cinema hall. Do you look forward to it? Your dog is neither a human being nor a human alternative but an altogether different experience. Do you see it as such? Your dog speaks a language and understands a language which is not the usual human way of interaction. Do you have the trainer's instinct? Your dog might bark and howl. Are your neighbourhood okay with all that? Like all pets your dog will fall ill from time-to-time and make a mess. Are you willing to embrace a sick dog? Your dog will die much before you die. Can you deal with the heart break? So, you see, it is not a sales campaign but a reality check.

If you don’t have any previous experience of keeping a dog, then ask yourself as to why do you need the dog and how do you plan to take care of it. At this juncture you must be aware of different breeds and their needs and requirements. A pug or a chihuahua won’t take much of your space and time. A bloodhound or a Labrador might force you to get involved in a lot of outdoor life. A Rottweiler may want a strong and stern human at the helm. So, you see different breeds have different demands and before you adopt you must be aware. Then the most important question is what if things go wrong? Will you abandon your pet? Abandoning a pet leaves behind a lifelong emotional scar and it is a dehumanising experience. It is not as simple as moving on after a breakup. Wilfully abandoning a pet dog which has put its emotional trust on you will make you somewhat of a monster. Are you okay with becoming a monster? Is that what you want to become in life? So, think well before you decide to make that sacred commitment. Sacred because this interspecies collaboration has changed the world for two species and made life more meaningful. When you abandon, you are subtracting that very meaning made clear by centuries of being together as best friends.

And then you may not like dogs, and you may want to keep a cat as a companion or may be a caterpillar. But then that would be in the ambit of another book. Do understand that dogs are customised pets with characteristics lovable and loathsome. Ask yourself are you ready to adopt a dog as a pet looking forward to the licking and the tugging. One good way of knowing is to talk to people who have a pet dog and try to baby sit a pet dog in the absence of his or her owner. That will give you a fair idea of where you stand in terms of real capabilities meant for handling a dog. Exposure and experience will tell you whether you are ready or not. Never allow yourself to forget that dogs are living things and not cell phone or a piece of jewellery to flaunt and show off. A trained dog doing tricks is good entertainment, but the real entertainment lies in cleaning the smelly poop. The trained dog also doesn’t happen with magic but with painstaking patience and rigorous practice. Getting a dog trained by a trainer costs money. The vet also believes in charging you a hefty amount for the medicines, vaccines and health check-up. Keeping a dog feels great but it costs money. If we decide to adopt a pet dog, then we must be willing to look forward to the financial burden and in return we won’t get any financial benefits. It is like investing in insurance – no returns but lot of security.

Are we open to all that? Do I hear a yes? Right? Then this book is for you. Go forward full steam and explore. Bon voyage.