Love for animals often finds its expression in today’s world especially in keeping pet dogs at home. The spectacle of that love is mostly seen in the early morning or evening while strolling outdoors. People of different age groups – young, middle aged or elderly are often seen accompanied by their pet dogs rather than humans during their evening or morning walk. It is an amusing sight to watch a dog, fastened with colourful and expensive belt around its neck with one of the ends of the belt in the grip of its human companion, trotting along the road. The dog is also seen sometimes to be controlled from being strayed from the road with the help of a light stick borne by its master.
Such vistas of the shiny and healthy dogs whether black, brown or white coloured walking in the streets along with people testify the fact that there is no dearth of love and care that the dogs receive from their owners. Sometimes, coming across some acquaintances in the streets accompanied by their dogs results into interactions, which present them as vociferous of their love for animals i.e. their pet dogs. They become eloquent of how they spend a lot upon their pets. They are very sure of the fact that they never become stingy to have expenses on quality food and other essential items for their dogs. They also say how good chunks of their time from their daily lives, they devote in taking care of their dogs like washing, feeding and taking them out for walking.
However, conversely to that selfless love and devotion that humans display for their pets, it also captures the notice that the pet dogs in exchange of getting all the love and care from their masters are also of good use for their keepers. It is often seen that the companionship of dogs in today’s life structured with hectic schedule, when people do not have time for each other, serves to do away the longings of people for companionship to some extent. Apart from that, it also imparts a sense of security to people leading secluded life from outsiders having their pet dogs by them. In addition to that, elderly people who are left alone at home sending their children outside to pursue their dreams, keeping pet dogs at home becomes an occupation for them to while away their time. Moreover, having pet dogs of exotic breed sometimes also becomes efficacious to satisfy the urge of some people to have a mark of aristocracy for them.
The above reference to exotic breed of dogs but sullies the exemplary love and devotion of humans for their pet dogs when it reminds people’s love and preference mostly for dogs of foreign breeds. A tendency is often noticed on part of people to prefer a German Shepherd or Bulldog or Labrador to a pariah dog. Compared to a dog of exotic breed, a native Indian dog often finds it to be ineffectual in drawing attention of people towards it. It is rare to have a spectacle of an emaciated dog taken up from the street to be adopted as a pet. The hunger-stricken stray dogs do not even have the privilege to walk into the campus of all those tall buildings that shelter the pet dogs of exotic breeds in search of food. They are always warded off from such classy structures. The luxury car boarding a dog of foreign breed is often seen to whizz by without bothering to look at the starving native Indian dog wriggling upon the pavement.
Such a preference for pet dogs of foreign breeds raises questions more than one. The first one is- why the umbrella of love for animals opens only to shelter exotic dogs underneath it expulsing the pariah dog? The second one is- when the native dogs are dying uncared for, how can people boast of spending abundantly upon their pets of exotic breeds? The final one is- does such a love for pet dogs especially for exotic breeds registers the altruistic love for animals? The answers to all the questions tend to summarize the viewpoint that such a love for animals i.e. dogs which reveals an inclination towards some particular breeds can never ever be clamorous of self-less love for animals.
But contrary to the above statement that darkens the selfless love of humans for animals, life reveals its brighter side too. It cannot be denied that there is still a section of people, may be very small, who are engaged in the act of feeding and even adopting the stray dogs as pets. Some philanthropic organizations are also in operations to raise rescue centres for stray and abandoned dogs. Hats off to all such people and organizations for their selfless love for animals. Therefore, we should all pledge along with them that our love for animals will never discriminate between dogs of exotic breeds and of native Indian breed.
…….Dr. Fathema Begum
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