Ripples N Reflections

She came to us, more than 18 years ago. A tiny bundle,  barely two months old and walked straight into our collective hearts…. 

We’d wanted a pet that would grow with the kids. We did not  realize then that we had just adopted another kid!  Minnie,  as we were told she was named, decided I was her mom and Rajiv her dad. She would run to the door as any of us came in and a small lil dance of her own, prancing around,  to welcome us. Her limpid eyes reflected unconditional love n happiness. She brought joy to all of us  

Rohan who was 6 then adored her and Apoorva, who was born about 6 months after Minnie,  literally grew up with her. 

The bond they shared with Minnie was a treat to watch… She was so much a part of their lives and hearts. It was much later that we actually realized just how much she meant to them, as a source of joy and confort. 

Minnie was ladylike and yet, had a strong and solid presence. I don’t remember her upsetting or angering us in any way. She had been easy to train and barely troubled us the way some pets could. 

Often, when I left the house for hospital emergencies at night, she would be the only one awake and would be waiting by the door till I returned. She would walk me back to my room and then go and sleep in the children’s room. A ritual she followed religiously. God Bless her. 

Rajiv was her friend and playing with him was a treat for her. Each of us had an extra special bond with her in our own ways  and she  became a part of a family of five! 

The only painful part about having  her was leaving her. She was troubled towards the end by a series of medical ailments which left her debilitated frail and blind. Rohan and Apoorva looked after her in a way that both touched and frightened me. Rohan would spend entire days on end tending to her and taking her out in his arms. She could barely raise her head towards the end and yet she would wag her tail the moment I reached home. Apoorva hugged her to comfort her a hundred times a day… 

The repeated trips to the vet told their own story and I knew it wasn’t long before she left us. The vet was kind but finally told us it was futile and we had to let her go. It still took usover 4 weeks to take that last step. She took barely a few seconds to go as I held her in my arms at the vets clinic. 

Rohan had found a place where we could cremate her and I drove 35 kms on the outskirts of Pune  to that place. Apoorva drew a beautiful drawing of her and wrote our goodbyes on it which we consigned to flames along with Minnie as I lit her pyre. Silent tears from me and sobs from the children accompanied our sweet lil companion of 13 and a half years.  Rajiv was away on a posting and could only grieve from afar. 

It was 02 July 2011. Six years today. 

A gentler pet never lived. 

You loved and were loved unconditionally, dear Minnie.