Puppy Love

We look for similarities when we make friends. We seek out those who speak the same language, dress the same way, like the same places and eat the same food. 11 years ago I made an Omani (wadi dog) friend, Zappy.  I share none of these similarities with Zappy, yet she’s chosen me to be her soulmate.

Its been 11 years and she still runs up to me with the same excitement and affection as she did when she was a pup. She keeps our relationship fresh and fun.

Imagine a child fling her arms open when you enter your home. That's the joy Zappy fills me with. Moreover, her innocence and love are unchanging. 

Dogs fill a void in our personalities that we didn't know existed. Once you've lived with a pet, its hard to live without one around. Thats what led me to my gorgeous Diva. 

I brought her home when she was 40 days old. She's a pup from my cousin/friend’s dog. One from a litter of 10 absolutely heart-melting lab pups. I fell in love the moment I saw her. Diva was just too much cuteness packed into one little body.

Other than the colour of their coat, Zappy and Diva share no similarities at all.

 Zappy is cool, calm and collected. She is extremely affectionate but very choosy about who she shares her fondness with. She loves to be left alone. 
If Zappy was in high school, she'd be one of the cool kids.

Diva is one big fur ball of affection and excitement. One handful of food and she'd fall in love with anyone. She begs for attention and petting. She's unaware of how big she’s gotten and still tries to crawl up onto my lap.

Zappy taught me friendship, sensitivity, adaptation and above all companionship. 

Diva taught me to love unconditionally, enjoy every meal like its your last, and display childlike innocence even when you are a mother of 7!

Leaving Diva and moving to Muscat was one of the hardest things I've had to do. I wept for longer with her than I did at my actual Bidaai (post marriage farewell).

I'm sure she knew I was leaving...nothing else would justify all that overfeeding. 

On my next trip to India, Diva turned 3 and was pregnant! (yeah... she had some fun when I was away).  At 60 days she was ready to pop any minute. So, having no prior experience being a mid-wife, I made an appointment with a vet to take her in for delivery. I went to bed that night wondering if Diva even knew that she's pregnant. 

How could she know? She came to us when she was just 40 days old. She had never hung out with other pregnant dogs, never read a magazine or bought a copy of ‘What to expect when you’re expecting’. I figured she had no way of knowing what she’s going through. 

Over the past week, she had gained a fondness for mud and was digging up a hole in my garden. So I bathed her and got her ready to look presentable for the vet meeting. 

When I got back home that evening, she had made herself a seat in the hole she had dug up and had already delivered her 1st pup! 

She had spent the past 3 days digging up a hole to make an ideal space for child birth! I was so awed by this. Its unbelievable how nature works.

6 and a half hours and 7 pups later she finally fell into deep restful sleep . No fancy delivery room. No exasperated husband by her side. Just her innate smartness and an amateur midwife, me. 

First time mom and first time mid-wife . We looked at each other cluelessly and led each other through the process. This is a special bond I share with Diva and her pups. One that cant be compared with any other relationship.

She was way more lady-like than any woman I'v seen in the movies. She held her rat-like pups close to her and kept them warm all night.

The pups grew well over the next few days. I had aspiring pet parents come in everyday.

We decided to keep one and give away the other pups to friends and family that we could visit and see the dogs grow up. 

Diva is a proud mother to Pepper, Aldo, Lara, Rani, Tyson, Bruno and Tiger.

Lara is a year old now and is a black beauty.  Diva steps aside and allows Lara to enjoy all the attention. My favorite mother-daughter duo in the world :)

Love, kindness, compassion and empathy are not emotions that can be taught. Experience the unconditional love your pets have to offer and you will slowly realize that they've changed you forever. 

I've fallen hard in Puppy Love and I know this affairs going to be one to remember.