They grow up so fast!

“They grow up so fast,” I always heard my mom say that about me and other kids in the family. Now that I have two of my own, I know what she meant. It seems like yesterday that I got marshy. A scrawny little puppy who used to go ape-shit every time he heard the sound of hooves outside because he grew up at a farm (3 months). Once he almost got hit when a horse on the street got freaked out. Since you never approach a horse from behind, he started kicking. That was a close call and very scary. And how can I forget the time Marshall got hit by a car.. The car went over his tail, and one Vet suggested we would have to cut it off. Thank God we ound a Vet who helped us save my baby’s tail.

I have so many memories with marsh. I spent all of my teenage with him. A time one feels all alone and misunderstood. Marshall always has understood. Wise little man. Recently he’s acquired a sixth sense, which is really annoying. His power is that every time my fiance comes to the door marshall starts barking. I have told you before that his eyesight is getting weaker and so is his eyesight so I dont know how he figures out that Baber is at the door but he always does. We have tried whispering, we have tried hanging out in the garden, on the roof in the drawing room.. but nothing seems to shake him off. He cries and whimpers and growls and barks.. and basically shouts down the house till my fiance goes to attend to him. When we get to his dog house marshall already has his leash out and he’s doing this little doggy dance. Goes around in circles, brings Baber his lead.. tik tik tik his nails go on the floor. Then we have no choice but to take him out. He cant walk long, but he still tries his best.

Leena is a wild child. Marshall’s and Leena’s personality could not have been more different. Marsh is calm, gentle and sober. Leena is a wild child. She destroys things, she’s chewed through so many things that I have lost count. She breaks things, she refuses to listen to anything. She wants to eat all the time!!! But strangely its difficult not to love her. My mom wasnt too keen on keeping another dog. In fact she was against it. Said we dint have enough space, then that we couldnt afford them.. she came up with all the excuses that she could, but its not like I picked Leena. She picked me. I swear. I had only gone to see the puppies and play with them. how was I to know that the breeder would just hand me such an expensive puppy??! I couldnt afford to buy her, that much was a given. I was homeless at that time as well. But the alternative for Leena would not have been very good. Since one of her eyes doesnt work, he sole purpose would have been to breed. I have to put medicine in her eye 3 times a day, and if I dont she gets an infection immediately. No one would have done that for her because people in Pakistan have very little regard for dogs. Most of them are ignorant and dont really care. Anyway, so leena baneena came to live with us. She has the mind of a puppy but BOY has she grown!! She’s so long and tall!! GOD!!!

They’re driving me crazy!

I am going crazy.. Really. I am. Leena and Marshall are driving me up the wall. I knew keeping two dogs at the same time was going to be a lot of work, had I known how much I might have changed my mind (I don’t mean it generally.. but right now I do). The good thing is that Marshall is not aggressive towards Leena. He only wants to… umm… get to know her more intimately (if you know what I mean?). When Marshall tries to get his way with Leena she gets really pissed. I dont blame her.. Poor thing just wants to play.

I can’t keep them together. Leena is a tall labrador. Taller than Marsh, and she jumps on him and makes him fall. I can’t allow her to hurt my poor old fart so I have to keep them apart. Which leads me to the next problem. When I go to Marshall Leena barks down the house and vice versa!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!

I love these freaks though, and I would not trade having them for all the peace and quiet in the world. Here is a recent picture of Leena baneena!

I don’t understand people..

I really cannot sympathize with people. I just can’t feel sorry for most of them. I know I shouldn’t generalize and that there still are good people out there but it’s so hard.. There is this pagan practice in Bulgaria in which dogs are suspended over water with a rope. The rope is tight wound in one direction so that when people let go the dog spins in the opposite direction. I don’t know if I have explained it properly so I am posting a video of this practice.

This video led me to other video’s in which animals had been abused. It is safe to say that I am very sad after watching these video’s. Another thing that upsets me about my country is that people are just savages. They have no regard for anyone or anything other than themself. Recently, a mob lynched and killed two brother who were falsely accused of stealing. What is more shocking is that the police had arrived at the scene and they did nothing to stop it. This happened in broad daylight and not even one person came forward to stop the men mercilessly beating the young boys. Who does that to another human being?? Why would anyone do that?

If this is what people do to humans then you can only imagine how they treat animals. It just breaks my heart.

I miss marshy..

I am away from home these days. Needed a vacation, had to get away from everything… everyone. I thought the change would do me good. It did, for a while. Then I started missing home. Strangely, by home I don’t mean the city I live in, or the walls that make up a house.

The saying ‘home is where the heart is’ is true. So by home I mean… marshy. Nothing worries me more than a change in his sunny disposition. I called my mother today, to find out how she’s doing. She told me that my uncle had called and marshy had stopped greeting him at the front door. (This is very unlike him. Recently he got diagnosed with hip dysplasia and rheumatism and even though getting up and sitting back down is painful for him; he still makes an effort).

She told me she went to see him then, after she was done from work. He greeted her at the door, back to his old hyper self. Dancing and wagging his tail, his nails making the familiar clicking sound on the pavement. And then the barking began. He barked at my mother for a good 5 minutes. I know what he was saying. Even though I dint hear him at the time, but I know what he said.

He asked her first where I was, and why I hadn’t been to see him. He then told her that he wanted to go back home with her because he missed being with us. He said that he missed his dog house and the freedom to roam around the back yard. He told my mother that he was angry at her for not spending more time with him. He told her he was not unhappy, but he would be happier in a familiar surrounding.

He then sat down and let my mom pet him. Everyone needs to vent it seems and he felt better after sharing what was in his heart with mom.

I will be home soon old man, just wait a while longer…. just a little bit more.

When I met Leena for the first time.

My rock-a-fella!

“This can’t be happening to me,” I kept repeating over and over in my head. “Where will Marshy go?” I thought to myself. “Where will I go?”

My worst nightmare was fast becoming a reality. I was homeless with an old dog on my hands. I had the option of sending him off to a farm where his special needs would be ignored. Where the younger dogs would eat all the food and my dear sweet baby would get nothing, a place where he won’t even get his daily supplements. Someone in my family suggested I should put him down, since he wasn’t feeling well anyway and he was an old dog. I was livid. How can someone say that? How can someone expect me to put down the only good thing in my life?

Marshall was a gift to me from my mother when I was 12 years old. I still remember the exact time I first laid eyes on him. It was the 23rd of September 2000, it was a Saturday and he woke me up with his wet tongue at exactly 8am. It was love at first sight. Marshall has been with me through everything. His understanding eyes and constant love and adoration have gotten me through on days where I was just about ready to give up. How was I supposed to let him go?

Growing up an only child in a broken home was not easy, but then life never is. Marshall eased the loneliness and was a rock (He still is). I love you Marshall.

Leena and a balloon