A man and his dog

I am getting some weird dreams these days. May be because of all the uncertainty around us or may be it's just something inexplicable. I met my childhood dog buddy last night in my dreams. It felt so real! I was very happy that he is still around, recognizes me and ready to hang out with me. Normally I can't really  remember the dreams when I wake up but this one was different.

He was a common pet between 2 houses in our neighborhood at my native place. He was pretty handsome, really good with kids and possessed a gift of selfless love. We called him 'Sultan'. The name was given because he came to us during a popular tv series - 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan '. I am personally not a big fan of Tipu Sultan but history tells us he was a brave king and our Sultan totally lived up to that name.

I  used to meet him just once a year for a few days. Every time I reached my grandparents' place, he used to run to me. I don't know how could he remember me. I used to do all sorts of mischiefs with him, but he was always tolerant and forgiving. I was a little kid when I suffered from a dog bite but Sultan is a reason I never felt scared of dogs. He taught me to love selflessly and how to be there when someone needs you. I don't think I can ever get close to him when it comes about loving selflessly.

My grandparents told me he caught a thief one night at a neighbor's place. To me this was exceptional given he was not a trained dog. Loyalty is a very common canine trait but this kind of daring is not. I have seen very strong dogs who get scared of something as small as a rat.
I remember an instance when Sultan followed me all the way to the bus station and tried boarding my bus. Lots of memories. After a long time I am missing someone so badly.

I hope I will be able to get another pet dog one day. It's a lot of investment, especially emotional one but it's worth it. One learns so much from these wonderful animals.

Came across this poem on animal channel, borrowing just a part of it-

God said - ‘I need somebody strong enough to pull sleds and find bombs, yet gentle enough to love babies and lead the blind. Somebody who will spend a day on a couch with a resting head and supportive eyes to lift the spirits of a broken heart.’

So, God made a dog.