Zorro my Golden Retriever Part 1

 It is said that, in a pet parent's life, “Golden Retrievers are dreams come true”. Fortunately, my family is blessed with a Golden, whose name is Zorro. We were on the lookout for a good family dog, which would be of a friendly breed, friendly with man and animals alike. All this on the insistence of my younger daughter, who is crazy about dogs. I wasn’t too sure initially if I would be able to accept an animal in my home, but the pressure from my husband and kids was getting too strong for me and so eventually I made up my mind to give in. As Zorro came into our lives, we were a little scared of this little over exuberant creature. He seemed so funny, this cute little thing. He crapped and peed all over our house, not caring for my commands, as Zorro go to the Loo and such. He looked into my eyes, as though, he was saying that this was his home and nobody should tell him what to do. He was eager to get as comfortable as he could, in our world. Every morning at sharp 8am, he would run across the rooms like a hurricane come from Netherlands. The whole day would go, in watching his escapades. We would get breathless trying to control him. He would watch his own reflection in the mirror and growl at it. Jump backwards in fear and then jump ahead very close to his enemy (reflection in the mirror), wanting to attack and bump himself and flee for his life. It was indeed hilarious. If anyone of us tried to get some relief from this crazy puppy, we weren’t spared, as he would jump up on the bed and bite our hands and feet so that we wouldn’t get even a wink of sleep. He also took any of our belongings, like scarves or plastic bowls and chewed on them, till he could actually bite pieces of them. We would be uneasy and try to pull them from him, but then he would growl at us showing all his milky white teeth. He would look really scary then. On being given a treat as a bribe, he would drop the article he had chewed on and ask for a belly rub, acting all innocent, melting our hearts with the cute expression in his eyes.We had heard that Goldens are greedy. Four meal timings were fixed. The proportions decided. But yet, he asked for more. He wanted the taste of human food too.All this overindulgence, strangely lasted only for a few months. As soon as he turned six months, he wanted a change.Thus we learnt that Goldens are whimsical.He had grown up now,stopped dirtying our home completely,started going out for his toilet trips, reduced the hurricane runs and started following our basic commands. So now he just decided not to have that boring Dog food and rather eat some chicken homemade meals. We gave him his choice of meal, but still on the advice of others, tried and are still trying to induce him to eat kibble. Presently, our little boy is a joy at our home. He gets his daily walks, socializes with other dogs at the park, goes for camps and attends dog parties. He bonds with humans too, of course, the ones who want him around, who give him positive vibes. He has brought the meaning and essence of unconditional love to my home. He is our responsibility and so we are a team united in our efforts to give him a life full of joy and fun. As we take him regularly to camps or the dog parks, we have met so many good souls and have emerged from our shells to have a broader and brighter view of our lives and the lives of other fellow humans. We have almost overcome our fear of other breeds which we had assumed to be ferocious and learnt a lot about other friendly breeds too. The merits are endless. Not material, but spiritual of having a pet like Zorro at home.  Now that’s what I call the right investment for a peaceful future.
 Supriya Bhonsle and family