An open letter to my fur child on the eve of his sixth birthday

Dear Maxx,

Where do I begin. When your akka wished for you, she was only four and your parents were maybe not even born themselves. We asked her to wait till she turned ten, so that we could have you. When the breeder told us that he had identified a 2 month old Golden Retriever pup who could be ours if we said yes, we didn’t hesitate even for a second. So what if your top coat was not going to be a rich shade of gold? We couldn’t wait to bring you home in August 2010 just in time for akka’s tenth birthday.

Remember the car ride home, baabu? You were on my lap as I held you precariously with your little wet nose sniffing every single smell in the car. We had set up a cage for you so that you wouldn’t wander around the house till you were housebroken. Akka stayed up next to the cage when you whined the first night you came home, telling you that you will be okay. Of course we got rid of the cage soon after since you didn’t like it beyond a few days. You loved to lie in the balcony there, on the cold tiles, without a collar or a cage restricting your freedom. You began to learn words at a very young age. You understood big words like balcony even when you were just 4 months!

Your favourite chew toy was a green monster. You chewed his legs right off. You loved chewing on everything. We still have your teeth marks on the legs of the full length mirror. Yes sir, you are guilty as charged!

You must remember that little accident you got into when you were just two? Of course it wasn’t your fault. I remember the pain and the trauma like it happened yesterday. The end of your tail caught in the hydraulic door as it jammed hard and we had to amputate a part of your tail. I am glad it hasn’t left any scar but I know you still dread all doors.

I have loved taking you on your walks. All the people I made friends with when we lived at Singapore were primarily humans with dogs. So I owe you all my friendships too. You are my favourite cardio workout till date. I owe you my fitness, among other things. If it were not for you, I would still be struggling with my excess weight. We have had plenty of adventures, baabu. I have even forgiven you for the three or four falls that you caused. You never liked suspicious sounds from bushes and they always made you jump. When you jumped back into my legs when we were walking at 10km/hour, it has made me fall. Each time though you looked startled at me, like I was to blame. The one time I fell into a ditch was the worst. Thank God it was in Singapore (and not Chennai) where the gutter was only filled with dried leaves and nothing suspicious.