I was walking the dogs a couple of evenings back. Aru is usually the only one on leash, the reason being, he would otherwise invariably get into a fight with Poppy. You see, they are both in love with the same lady – but that’s a another story altogether.

So I see three teenage boys approching us. They seem to be arguing amongst themselves. When they draw closes I can hear ” Na na… ami bolchhi eta neri noi!” (No no, I am telling you this is not a baldie street dog), I hear one of the boys insist to his friends.

Another one chimes in: “Han, o theek bolechhe. Eta biliti kukur. Amaar didir barite ei kukur achee.” (Yes, he is right. This is a foreign dog. My sister owns one just like this”.

As they draw closer, the first boy decides to resolve the fight once and for all. He asks me: “Achchha didi, boloto eta ki neri?” (Tell me didi, is this dog a baldie?)

I felt a little sorry for him. Oh the disappointment of discovering that the exotic looking dog on leash is indeed a neri.

So I looked at Aru and took a deep breath, then turned towards the boys, smiled, and said “NO”.

The young boy had a proud smile on his face, but his friend still had his doubts.

He asked me: “Tobe eta ki kukur?” (Then what kind of a dog is he?)

I thought for a second. People have been known to believe that Aru resembles a fox more than he does a dog.  Sample this:

Aryaman or Aru for short

Aryaman or Aru for short

So I told him: “Arre, dekhchho na kemon sheyaler moton dekhte? O to ekta Fox Hound!” (Don’t you see the resemblance between him and a fox? He is of course, a fox hound!)

Voila! I had made a believer out of the skeptic. Although he did not believe what I would have wanted him to (that INDogs are just as acceptable as pets as any imported breed), it still was nice to see him have his peace of mind back.

His friends were happier. One said: “Dekhli? Ami bolechhilam!” (Saw? I told you!)

The other boy’s response was however priceless: “Arre amaar didio to ei kukuri pushechhe!” (This is exactly the breed of dog that my sister owns!)

With that I will end this story, but obviously, there are more to come.

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