OF DOGS AND MEN

J.VASANTHAN looks at the spectacle of a dog and a man together


I NEVER much cared for dogs, and usually gave them a wide berth. But some dogs went out of their way to be friendly with me. Randy and Sheba were two such.

Two dachshunds


They were dachshunds in my aunty Raji's house. Randy was of standard size, golden brown in colour, while Sheba was of miniature size and black. They made much of me when I visited my uncle's house in Vepery. I was at that time in the Madras Christian College, and usually dropped in on Saturday evenings.

The two dogs came out onto the compound to receive me, and held on to my trouser legs and guided me in, all the time making little moaning sounds of sorrow over my long absence. Once inside the house, Sheba went off to her favourite sofa. She didn't like to be fondled by anyone except her master. Randy on the other hand, was a good-humoured fellow who liked to be scratched, patted and even pummelled.

A man and his dogs


My uncle, Mr.S.Subramaniam (called SS by everyone including me at his request), was an assistant editor in `The Mail', a newspaper published from Madras. He was a scholarly man noted for the pithy editorials that he wrote. SS was a curmudgeonly character, always bored and irritable in the company of men. But while with his dogs, he came alive and became genial and jolly.

Sheba made it a point to sit with him on his armchair, and wouldn't allow Randy to do the same. SS also made it clear to Randy that only Sheba had the right to occupy his chair. Randy didn't mind this so much as long as he had somebody to scratch him under his ears.

They were intelligent dogs. When they wanted to go out into the compound and found the front door locked, they came to SS and made some mewling sounds. Without looking up from his book, or raising his hand to point, SS would say, "Go through the back door". And the dogs would make for the back door immediately.

The bold ones


One day SS and I took the dogs for a walk. The way the dogs moved steadily, short legged and long bodied, attracted many a glance from passers-by. SS usually took them up to the Andrew's Church in Egmore, and turned them loose in the church compound to romp about for awhile. That day a cobra suddenly appeared from underneath a bush, and took on a hostile stance when it saw the dogs. SS and I tried to call the dogs away. But both of them were intent on attacking the cobra. And by taking it on from two sides they quickly tore the snake to bits. I was amazed at the feat, but SS seemed to be familiar with this aspect of his pets. The small dogs attacking a dangerous adversary was not unlike the diminutive journalist crusading against crooked politicians

When the dogs sat with SS in the drawing room, I couldn't help drawing a comparison between them. There was some kind of similarity between the dachshunds and their master. SS was small in stature like his dogs. And even the habitual expression on his face resembled those of Randy and Sheba.

Lookalikes


I noticed this later in the Race Course Road in Madurai, where men took their dogs for a walk in the morning. One gentleman tried to exude a quiet dignity as he accompanied a massive dog of obviously high pedigree. Both looked regal and imposing. The effect was marred however when a scrawny little street dog came yapping and attacked the huge canine. The pedigreed dog yelped with its tail tucked between its legs, and sat whimpering even after the saucy stray had left the scene. The master sat down and crooned to it, both cowering together in defeat and loss of face, just as they had paraded together earlier. The resemblance between dog and man was striking.

There were other dogs too in the Race Course bearing a remarkable resemblance to their owners. One gentleman who wore glasses with a thick black frame brought a dog along that had black circles around its eyes that gave it a bespectacled look. The dog stopped at every lamp post, and the man waited patiently. And when they came to the last lamp post it was the dog's turn to wait. There seemed to be perfect rapport between the two spectacled companions.

Well, a dog and a man together can provide quite a spectacle.




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