Not All Dogs Are Killed By Strangers

 By Syed Hasnain Jilani

He was so tiny Mustard brown, or brownish mustard, | do not remember | found him yelping alone on the lawn right outside my house He was trying to jump, Moving left and nght. He was alone, masterless, parentiless, helpless 

A few days earlier, the municipal committee personnel had poisoned several stray dogs. Ithink his father and mother were killed in that grand operation. 

Where | live, stray dogs are beaten, stoned, flogged, and eventually killed Interestingly, the children playing in the streets consider it fun to stone dogs More daringly mischievous children tie ropes around pupptes’ necks erther to drag them around or to hang them from the strong branches of trees They clap and cheer when a hanging puppy winces Thatis their idea of fun. 

So, I picked him up He waved his baby-fingerdike tail when | pressed him softly against my chest Among all tiny puppies, he was the tiniest one | named him Decimal. Outside, he was a beggar, but inside my house, his body language changed within days. His inherent nonchalance surfaced He was a king, and my house was his kingdom He yelped, and milk was presented to him He gazed, and feed was offered to him He had four bowls: one for milk, the second for feed, the third for dipping his paws into water, and the fourth simply for chewing, sliding, and playing 

A soft rubber ball, a hard cncket ball, some white Ping Pong balls, and a SpiderMan figure were his toys He would play with the balls but fight with Spider Man | do not know why, even though Spider Man never fought back Under the beds were his playgrounds Sofas were his trampolines The blue sofa was his favourite because it was the softest. 

Within a month, he was responding to ‘stay, “sit” and “come ” Decimal was a quick learner. He was getting tamed, but since he was only a tyke, he often followed his nose | was never negligent about him I had to keep an eye on the cats that roamed outside and sneaked into houses in search of food Where | live, stray cats are also ubiquitous but enjoy a better fate They are neither stoned, nor beaten, nor killed, but merely shooed away—generally Since most of them were bigger than Decimal, | had to remain careful. 

That night, | had to go to the chemists | retumed within fifteen minutes. Along with my blood pressure medicine, | had brought ice cream for Deamal How couid | forget a treat for him? 

He was sitting nght on the threshold, and the gate was open ‘Who opened the gate?" ! shouted in my mind Then! smiled ‘The tiny watchdog" | said silently. 

Before | realized that | had forgotten to close the gate, ! saw him right in front of my car The nght front wheel ran over him. | felt no jolt. He made no sound. Had he been crushed? | hued out of the car. 

Decimal was still alive, slowly walking towards me. But he did not have such a long tal. Itwas not his tail It was his anal canal, completely protruding from bis rectum. I picked him up He was calm | called the vetennarian. He was sleeping. | begged him to see Decimal. Then, following his instructions, | video-cailed him. He said, The puppy will die in a couple of hours.” He also said that Decimal could not be operated upon. Where | live, there is only one animal hospital and a few private clinics whose signboards read °24Hour Service,” which is often little more than branding. 

The veterinarian said Decimal would die in a couple of hours. It took him five hours to die. 

He died sleeping. 

I buried him in the lawn. 

Where | live, stray dogs are beaten, stoned, flogged, and eventually killed. 

But not all dogs. 

Some are run over by the vehicles of their owners. 

Syed Hasnain Ahmad Jilani is Assistant Professor of English at Govemment Graduate College Gulberg Lahore. 

He is a writer, researcher, and teacher of English language and literature. He can be reached through: shaj4455@gmail.com, 03216360447