‘My idea of absolute happiness is to be in bed on a rainy day with my blankie, my cat, and my dog.’
– American novelist, Anne Lamott.
One piece of news made me very happy this week. I learnt that although Indian tycoon Ratan Tata passed away recently at the age of 85, his will included clear provisions to ensure “unlimited care” for the lifelong well-being of his beloved German Shepherd, Tito.
According to the Daily Mail, the former Tata Group chairman, who did not marry or have children, left most of his US$118 million to his dog rather than his brother and half-siblings.
Tata had also previously instructed security staff at the Tata Group’s headquarters not to turn away stray animals. So deep was his affection for animals.
Not much is known about his beloved German Shepherd, Tito. I don’t know how old the lucky dog is and its gender. But Tito will be very well looked after until the end of its life.
Tata had made very, very generous provisions for his butler and assistant Konar Subbiah, and his chef Rajan Shaw; both are now responsible for Titio’s care, It is learnt that Tata was so generous with both of them that they would never have to work again and, just like Tito, would be very well looked after for the rest of their lives.
I wonder how many dog owners make provisions for the well-being of their pets after they die.
Not many, I guess. Many pets are either abandoned or thrown out into the streets when their elderly owners die, leading to an increasing number of strays. Sadly, many young people simply do not have time to care for animals left behind by their parents or grandparents.
For example, I have a niece who, in name, owns five or six exotic cats at home. I don’t want to mention her name here. But it is her father who feeds, cleans the cages of the cats and disposes of their waste. He also buys fish and cat food for the animals.
The big number of pets started with a couple of baby cats given by a classmate.
Let me share with you another story. One of my nephews could not keep his mixed German Shepherd when he moved to an apartment. He came to my house at least thrice to persuade me to take over his male dog.
Luckily for Lucky (yes, that was the name of the dog), I loved dogs and I liked it. Luckily for me, Lucky liked me too.
I was hesitant to adopt Lucky at first because, at that time, I already had two dogs and a cat.
My nephew told me that if I refused to take in Lucky, he would have to abandon it in the streets. It broke my heart to hear this.
Now, how do I bring a big mature female dog into a house with a mature female dog, a smaller male dog and a male cat?
I had no choice but to turn to the internet for help. There, I came across Caesar Milan’s advice.
According to the Mexican-American canine professional, choose a neutral location when introducing a new dog to a household with existing dogs. Take the process slowly, closely supervise the interactions and let the dogs sniff and get used to each other’s scents first while maintaining a calm and assertive demeanour as the pack leader.
I choose an open space near my house for the introduction. My nephew’s son and daughter came with Lucky in a car while I came with my big dog, Buddy. They put Lucky on a leash and purposely walked past Buddy and I. We let the dogs sniff and get used to each other’s scents.
Then we went back to our respective homes with our dogs. The next day, my nephew brought Lucky to my house and left it there for good.
Lucky lived with me, my dogs and my cat for a few more years until it fell ill and suddenly passed away one day. It was a very loving and obedient dog. I cried when it died. I cry each time a pet dog or cat dies.
This same nephew had previously left with me a male stray cat he found roaming the back stairs of his apartment. Alvin was a good rat catcher and very friendly.
One day, this nephew suddenly drove to my house but just as he wanted to hand over Alvin to me, it sprinted away. The cat returned to my house a few days later. I do not know how it could recognise my house but there, it was. It mewed and mewed until I picked it up and brought it into the house.
My family and I enjoyed many happy moments with Alvin. It grew particularly close to me. It liked to sleep on the sofa in the living room but fell ill one day and died.
I hope Tata’s German Shepherd will live happily for many more years to come. I know it will miss Tata. After all, animals have feelings too. But hopefully, the loving care it receives from Tata’s butler and assistant Konar Subbiah, and his chef Rajan Shaw will ease the pain of loneliness it experiences without its master.
I know all my dogs and cats miss me dearly whenever I go away for a holiday. That’s why my holidays are usually very short.
