This is the story of my doggo who lived with me for 9 years and then went to run free in the gardens of heaven. He was fierce, stunning and a natural charmer. He was my brother more than a pet. My grandpa shared everything he ate with this guy…
So here’s how he came home, one late evening in the year 1996. My cousin showed up with this brown dog who was about 6-7 months old, his hind legs were affected by polio. My cousin told us he was his friend’s pup, but he’s moving and so he wanted someone to adopt.
We happily welcomed him home – that night he was very scared, didn’t eat or drink anything. My dad and I chose to take him indoors so he could feel more comfortable. My mom was never pet lover 😂 so she was against the whole idea.
Slowly with each passing day he started to get more comfortable with me and dad. When I returned from school he used to be the happiest. It took him just a week to become the most beautiful part of our family. While dad trained him, I pampered him and grandpa just watched us calmly and used to say this guy is too loud 😂.
If any day he would get punished I used to cry my heart out. And if he saw me getting punished, he would bark his lungs out, that was his way of expressing that he didn’t like anyone being loud with me. Dogs understand every word and he was very protective about me.
My mom was transferred to a different city and I used to travel to stay with her during summer vacation – those two months used to turn out nightmarish because by the time I returned he used to turn like a skeleton. So, I stopped travelling as it pained to see him suffer.
The best times spent were the mornings when dad would let him off the leash to wake me up and he used to curl up next to me and sleep. Oh yeah!! Leash was compulsory then because there were too many people who came home to meet grandpa so we couldn’t let him be. Eventually he became my grandpa’s best companion, from early morning tea biscuit at 5am to idly at 8am and ragi at 11:30am. Everything grandpa ate they both shared, literally. Idly and roti were amongst his favourite foods, though garam garam idly has to be his first.
For Diwali and Ganesh Visarjan, crackers used to trouble him a lot – he used to sleep under out wooden sofa and me over the sofa with my hand brushing him till he calmed down.
So this dog of mine used to demand food… even after he was fed! At night, if he was still hungry (after having his dinner) he used to create a menace like a small kid! We would have to cook some more rice for him, cool it down and then serve him!
He became the soul of our house, he was more than just a dog. But, life had it planned otherwise. He got sick nothing could heal him.
One evening of 2006 he looked like as if everything was getting better, somewhere deep down my heart I knew he was leaving. I went out to meet a friend, by the time I returned he was gone 😭. He lay there lifeless, as if to tell me “I waited for you to go so you don’t see me struggle in my last minutes.”
I cried and cried, but no amount of tears were going to bring him back. I had to let him go, I didn’t want him to suffer anymore.
Brownie was the name I gave him, but he became famous as Vincoo – a weird unique name my aunt gave him. He was no big breed – he was a street dog. He didn’t know anything but to love and protect. He gave to me unconditionally and all he wanted was to be loved. Today all I can do is remember him and all his love and wish he’s running the fields of heaven open free and joyful ❤️
