Your Pet Tributes

'Tuffy'

Imagine the ocean. The big blue bizarre ocean. You are seated on the golden beach facing the far horizon. Do you feel the wind blowing through your hair? The weather is picture perfect. You are in profoundly of mirth. Relaxed. Life cannot be better than that! Abruptly, you open your eyes and witness how the clear blue sky turns into all sorts of grays. Simultaneously the seemingly innocent waves begin to clash. There is thundering. There is lightening. Suddenly the world has turned up side down. It was just a matter of time. That's my many years of existence in brief.

That is how I felt on the day he left me, forever. I will walk you through a boulevard of reminiscences. Just so that you get to know him. I want you to know him.

It was roughly mid June 2003, that's when I first met him. I had just turned 13. Quite innocent and immature as I would have been, my parents gifted me with a puppy. It turned out to be a surprise which I did not see coming. Interestingly we shared the same birth month. I was born on the 4th, him on the 14th. His paternal grandma was a Great Dane and the rest were Lion German Shepherds. My sister came up with the name Tuffy.

We grew up together. I've spent the majority of my time talking to him, feeding him, playing with him, bathing him and just sitting next to him. he grew up immensely fast. After turning 9 months of age I could not even carry him. You might think that it's because I was also a little girl. Even when I was 24 I still couldn't even imagine lifting him up. It was just impossible. He was bigger and stronger than me.

Honestly, he was my mode of relaxation. It was pure joy to be next to him. I used to hold my head so that he can sniff my hair and pretend to look for tics.

Without going through every fine detail I shall get on to our final years. Tuffy's parents passed away at such young age, 5 and 7. Hence I was worried all the time. He did not know, obviously. He turned 11. Though he had arthritis and body aches he still would climb up the stairs to be with me in my room. Once a cousin of mine entered my room uninvited. Though it was quite cumbersome for Tuffy to even get up in a jiffy, he did. Just to chase him away. He was being protective. There were many moments like that.

During this time, I was away from home, as I had to attend to medical school. I could only see him during weekends. Despite what I had, I always made it a point to go home. To see him. When he was there I was just simply "happy". My grandma, who has never been a dog lover, always found it outlandish that I spent so much time with him. She never got it, I guess...

When he gets sick he used to sneak into my room and wait there until I come home. He would just get up when I go, as if I gave him morale. He suddenly had the physical strength. It always amazed me how he reacted to me. It touched me immensely that I break down every day when I think of it.

It was end of October, he had suddenly got sick. It was a Wednesday and naturally I was away from home. If I was informed I would just dropped everything and gone home. By the time I got to know and left uni, it was noon. And I was too late.

His body laid there. Stiff and still. Tears did not wake him up. What if I had come home a little earlier. Would he have died happier than that? I guess I'd never know. I wish I could tell him how much I adored him. How much he meant to me. He was the replica of pure unconditional love. I was never close to my siblings. He was the brother I never had. He was the true friend I always could count on that never walked away, that was in fact exceptionally protective of me.

He was; is; and forever will be my most amazing amazing living being. I can only hope that he died without pain. And that he is happy. I miss him every minute every day. Life is not the same. It will never be.

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