Oscar's Story

By Renu Gera

Mr. Pariyal shared Oscar’s Pedigree file with a reverence akin to the way we share janampatris (horoscopes). Oscar’s pedigree status was pretty impressive and his grandfather seemed to be the outstanding one for winning dog shows on intelligence, obedience besides his alpha male looks.
Oscar’s father had a rather strange name – “Casper” – and had not followed in his illustrious father’s footsteps. Casper had either not participated in dog shows or failed to make a mark in them. Oscar’s parents and grandparents were based in Bangalore.
The little Labrador had travelled afar to make Mumbai his home.
We consoled ourselves that sometimes genes skip a generation and Oscar would be like his illustrious grandfather. We were not disappointed; he had intelligence in ample measure and the only thing he needed was obedience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398454101

Renu Gera

Renu Gera has over forty years of engineering experience. She started her carrier with Tata Consulting Engineers and is currently working with Systra as an environmental expert. She loves pets, plants, and books. This book deals with her experience of adopting Oscar, a six-year-old black Labrador. Renu can be reached at [e-mail]

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Preface

Oscar came to us unexpectedly and stayed on to enrich our lives in several ways. During the Oscar years, I never required an alarm to wake up, early morning by 4 am there would be a gentle sniffing of the face, followed by a cold nose pressed to the cheek or ear, generally this was enough to get me out of bed. It was immaterial what time I got to bed, wake up time could not be changed. Should I fail to respond then this would be followed by a lick. On those rare occasions when I chose to ignore the sniff and was smart enough to cover my face to avoid the lick, the big dog would get on his hind legs and use his paws to scratch me awake.

Early mornings were meant for getting out of the house – walking, sniffing, nibbling blades of grass and treating stray objects like treasure besides marking his territory. If there was a puddle, then it must be thoroughly examined by wading through it and all four paws were required for this specific purpose.

The sheer joy with which each morning was greeted, the cool pleasant weather added to the feeling of wellbeing, this was followed by a bowl of milk lapped nosily and quickly followed by a snooze preferably in the morning sun. Oscar’s enthusiasm was contagious and by the end of the walk, one was all set for the day. Anyone who has walked a dog will know the difference between walking alone and taking a dog for a walk.

Oscar shared a unique relationship with each member of the family. I was his preferred choice for morning walks. He would wait at the door for my son Rahul to return no matter how late and would then proceed to bed. Getting Rahul to bed was a chore he had assigned himself and therefore he was entitled to sharing half the bed.

On those rare occasions when one of us was unwell Oscar was beside you even before the lights had been switched on. He would walk between our rooms and make whining sounds to let us know that this was not a usual night. I have been woken at night by Oscar to find Rahul throwing up if the food did not suit him or even when he was running a fever.

Oscar was upfront about his likes and dislikes of both objects and persons. Any object he did not like would vanish into some remote corner never to be traced. Unfortunately, he could not do the same to persons, so he amused himself by barking and interrupting their conversations. If he startled a guest with a sudden woof, he was pleased with his behaviour.

Keeping Oscar’s fur out of the nooks and corners in the house was a herculean task, we never quite succeeded at it. During this phase, we did not need a weighing machine and could eat to our hearts’ content as Oscar ensured that his human family was kept on their toes.

Adopting a dog can be a wonderful experience, not only do you get a cuddly companion to play with but oodles of love, devotion and loyalty too.

I share with you Oscar’s story with the hope that this crazy, moody, adorable, unpredictable thinking dog with a mind of his own will make you smile at his mulishness and also make you think of how life can be handled when what you get is not what you want.

This is a humble tribute to Oscar, the Black Labrador Retriever who made a big difference in our lives by his sheer presence.

Chapter 1

Oscar Arrives at Sea Woods

When you write about animals, of course you are really writing about the people who love and live with them. Animals mirror and reveal us. Dogs in particular are often reflections of us, and what we need them to be.

—Jon Katz

Renu, will you adopt a Labrador? was Judith’s question, just as I entered the office. Concern and anxiety were etched on her pretty face. She informed me that her friend Anita Pariyal would soon migrate to the United States and they needed a suitable home for their dog.

My secretary is a kind-hearted soul and well aware of my fondness for pets, she approached me with this request. This dog was six years of age and Pariyal required a family with previous experience in handling pets. Sensing her urgency, I agreed to respond by the next day after checking with the family.

The three members of our family are Sunil – my businessman husband, Rahul – our teenaged son studying for his engineering degree and me (working woman.)

We had recently moved to Sea Woods, the NRI Complex at Vashi in New Mumbai so that our son could be near his college. Rahul and I were the sole occupants of flat No 703, Block 34 Sea Woods. Our seventh-floor apartment was all of 1200 sq. ft of space with a beautiful sea view on one side and a huge garden of more than an acre on the other.

My husband was based in Delhi and an occasional visitor. Rahul and I adore dogs while Sunil is not too comfortable with paw marks, tufts of fur, doggie smell and all the responsibilities of keeping a pet, yet is invariably kind to them.

Chotu, our white Pomeranian, had died two years ago, we still felt his absence. I missed Chotu especially in the morning for the first cup of tea before our walk. While I sipped tea, Chotu would nosily lap his milk and then we would leave the house for our morning walk.

Rahul abhorred coming back to an empty house and had been bugging me to get another dog, but a big one this time. I had been putting off his request because the average life span of dogs is 10 to 12 years and when they leave, the loss is difficult to handle.

Rahul is July born and as his birthday was approaching, the demand for a big dog was getting louder. Quite recently he had acquired The Eliminator (mobike) and was spending a considerable amount of time zooming along Palm Beach Road which is a beautiful stretch along the sea coast.

My job involved a considerable amount of travel and I could understand Rahul’s need for having someone around. Having a pet would keep him off the road and content at home.

Over dinner, I broached the subject of adopting a dog with Rahul and informed him that this dog was all of six years. We know that the average life span of a Labrador is about twelve years, essentially a single master dog and at six, he is in