TALE OF TWO CANINES

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Jeno and Rigo, the attractive dogs of a neighbour





My friend Hirudayaraj had two dogs in his house. Jeno was a black female and Rigo was a massive brown male. Both were of uncertain pedigree, but natives of the soil.
Jeno was pleasant and friendly, but tried to boss over Rigo, which Rigo good-naturedly tolerated. Rigo was the terror of the neighbourhood, particularly to the male dogs of the locality. He also happened to be the heart-throb of the female dog population. He seemed to like both these roles, and played them with great zest and aplomb


Bold Babe

I used to go for a walk on the Race Course Road and since Hirudayaraj's house was in the adjacent colony, I stopped by almost every evening for a chat. Jeno and Rigo greeted me effusively and led me into the house. They came out to send me off when I left. This became a mandatory ritual in course of time. Sometimes Rigo would be missing, away perhaps on one of his amatory adventures.


Once my daughter's family had come for a vacation, and I took my two grand daughters for a drive. On the way back, we stopped at Hirudayaraj's house. Anjali, who was three and a half, walked ahead into the house to a tumultuous welcome by the whole family, and started chatting animatedly with them. I was carrying Raagini who was one and a half years old. As soon as she saw the dogs, Raagini started whimpering. Assuming she was scared, Hirudayaraj said: "They won't bite you, Raaga. They are harmless." The ladies of the house also assured her that she would be safe.
But she continued to whimper and tried to get down from my arms. The moment I put her down she rushed to Rigo and hugged him, and clung on to him. Everyone was surprised, Rigo most of all. He stood stiffly, obviously worried about his image. He had known little children to scream and run off the moment they saw him. And now this fearless little one was taking liberties with him! He stood there for awhile, and the moment he got a chance he stepped out of the house and vanished from sight.
After about half an hour he came back and peeped in. When he saw the bold tyke still there, he did mother vanishing act, and didn't show his face as long as we were there.


The Call of Cupid

One day as I was walking along the Race Course, Rigo saw me, and came to join me. He fell into step with me, carrying himself with military rigidity, since he perhaps felt that he was on escort duty. At the sight of Rigo all the dogs of that locality made themselves scarce - the male dogs, that is. It was a different story with the females. They paraded before us, acting coy and coquettish, trying to attract Rigo's attention.


Rigo studiously ignored them, since as I said before he was `on duty.' After we had covered some distance, a cute and lively dog walked along with us, making eyes at Rigo and trying out her feminine wiles on him. Rigo resisted temptation for as long as he could. And then he stopped and gave me a long look that seemed to say: "Excuse me, Sir. I didn't want to leave you. But love calls, and I can't say nay. Forgive me, Sir, for I must go." And then the canine Casanova left the scene with the saucy siren.


Farewell to the Master

When Hirudayaraj fell ill, Jeno and Rigo sat quietly on the verandah, not making the slightest noise. But that night they suddenly set up a shrill and continuous howling. The people who had gathered in the house muttered among themselves that the dogs had perhaps sensed the approach of death. Hirudayaraj passed away a few hours later. The dogs kept up their howling. So they were taken to a house some distance away and locked up in a room. The next day when the body was being removed for burial the dogs howled again which we could hear even at that distance.
After Hirudayaraj's death, the family moved off to Chennai. Jeno disappeared there, perhaps killed in a road accident. Rigo is old and infirm now, leading a sedentary life. His memories perhaps keep him going.


J. VASANTHAN.
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