Our family is complete with two Labs and a cat who are best buddies

CHENNAI:My life has always pivoted around dogs. My dad and uncles had a German shepherd called Paddy, who my mum adopted when she got married to my dad.

Paddy lived for about a year after my birth. My mom has a faded photo from then of me troubling Paddy, while my docile, furry friend patiently humoured me. By the time my sister was born, Paddy had gone to doggy heaven, and two Doberman dogs called Bruno and Penny had firmly forged themselves in
our midst.

I had a memorable childhood growing up around these two, and when they passed away, we were devastated. My parents, unable to cope with the absence of the familiar barks and snuggles, were not ready to let in any new pets in our lives. In my final year of law, I conspired with a friend and hatched up a devious plan to get a dog back in our lives. Since my dad’s birthday was around the corner, I took along a small black furball with blue eyes, a Labrador puppy, on my train journey to Chennai. Everyone who saw him instantly adored him and my mom named him Gino, after a dog, in the Tamil writer Sujatha’s novel, who loved Mor Kuzhambu, since my mom was preparing this steamy concoction when he went and snuggled up to her in the kitchen. Gino has since grown into a huge dog, shifted to Kolkata with my parents.

I moved to Mumbai when I was 22, and adopted Zadie, a fawn coloured Labrador, shortly thereafter. For the first year of her life, she was fostered in Bengaluru, and I would meet her during my fortnightly visits to the city. When I moved cities and settled down here eventually, she became a permanent fixture and when my husband saw her, he fell in love with her instantly too.

We were soon ready for another dog to give Zadie company. I was at the vet’s one morning when I met this adorable little Labrador puppy who was there for a check-up as his back legs would not support him. While playing with him, I learned that he was up for adoption. Deon was meant to be part of our family and he moved into our lives shortly thereafter. Our schedules have become inextricably linked with Deon’s routine — we now schedule our weekends around his hydrotherapy (swimming) sessions, and he has made me an animal welfare activist. Today, I would never gift someone a pet on a whim, not without checking if they are ready for the 10 to 15 years of commitment. I also actively advocate for #AdoptDontShop.