“Love I seek. Love I found.
But not the one that held me in bounds.
In my life, absolution of the clog
Was because of the amity of a dog”
It has been proven scientifically that a pet can bring your stress level down to almost 40 percent of what it was before you had a pet. Strings you attach with an animal are the strings which can never break, unlike the ones you connect with a human. When materialistic things start to fade away from sight, is the moment when a pet, your true companion steps in. It might be a shock to some people but the bond you establish with an animal is the one which will hold you through your toughest times.
Time and again, animal lovers in Nagpur have shown why the title is so apt for them. Kumar Bokde, a professional pet trainer said, “Training animals and pets is my hobby. I train all breeds of dogs and birds like macau, Indian parrot, cockatoo and love birds. Most people just buy pets but are unable to adopt them in the true sense of the word. It is important to take care of animals just like babies when they are little. It is also important to understand their psychology as well as the anatomy of their bodies. We must speak to them and spend time with them and play because there is a lot we can learn from them too. They may suddenly surprise us. ”
Taking into consideration the kindness and benevolence people have shown towards animals, we spoke to one the best Veterinarians in the city, Dr. Ashish Hole. He runs a successful clinic named Royal Pet Clinic in Narendra Nagar along with his partner Dr. Swapnil Nagmote. Dr. Ashish in his interview said, “Animals have now attained a distinct status in families. They are now a very important part of the family they belong to. In the last few years we have realized how aware and cautious people are about their pets. Their emotional attachment people have with their pets is probably stronger than they would have with any human.” Their clinic also serves as a help centre for many stray dogs.
Strays with problems and diseases who are left unattended, have been treated by Dr. Ashish and Dr. Swapnil many times. “People who are affectionate towards dogs and who cannot see dogs in pain bring the stray dogs of their street to our clinic and we treat them free of charge. There are some people who come to our clinic and deposit money for the treatment of stray dogs and wish to stay anonymous. We use that money to perform operations and treatments on these dogs in exchange of a promise. We ask them to take care of these dogs until their wounds heal, before them let them go. We also have a lot of volunteers who wish to assist and help us with our patients and these people are people who do it for the mere love of animals“, said Dr. Ashish.
Passion and love go hand-in-hand when the context of animals is considered but to prove your compassion towards animals, you must prove you are different than others. Padmesh Chaturvedi, working with a leading pharmaceutical company set an example of his distinction years ago. “ I hate to see animals in cages and bounds. They are meant to be free. Intolerance and injustice meted out towards animals in not tolerable to me. Growing up in Agra, in my college days, we had a group of animal lovers and we wanted to open a hospital/ animal shelter where animals could be treated for free. But the municipal corporation was not ready to give us a land and told us to buy one. We did not have the kind of money needed to buy a land so we looked for a place we could get for free. We found a suitable land in Dayal Bagh which people were ready to give us but we still needed funds to bulid the hospital. We had made a collection of abou 4 lakh rupees but we still needed more. We went to Delhi to meet Meneka Gandhi (animal rights activist). She was so pleased with our initiative that she spontaneously signed a cheque of 25 lakh rupees and we were finally able to see our dream of that hospital come true”, said Padmesh.
Resilience in many difficult situations is a quality Rakesh Mani has acquired and the reason behind his positive spirit is a dog that stood beside him. Having petted many animals including cows, dogs, rabbits, hens, pigeons, parrots and cats, he said, “In all the years of my experiences with animals, I have observed that we humans are no different than animals. The difference between us and them is language and appearance. Also, they are not as cunning as we are. Loyalty and adherence are traits that pets possess and that marks as the most significant difference between us humans and them. They will not care if you are pretty or ugly, rich or poor. You love them-they love you back, just as you are.” When asked about his dog Steffi whom he recently lost, he said, “She laughed with me when I was happy and cried with me when I was sad. She helped me become the person I am today. It is easy to differentiate an animal lover from someone who’s not because only an animal lover will be able to adapt to all kinds of environments. “
Another pet lover from the city, Tina Singh has a beautiful Labrador named Visky who is almost a daughter to her. She said, “There is something about these animals. I have a dog and I know that a dog can take you to a completely different place. Chasing squirrels, digging up mud, rolling on the grass or stretching on the rug; a sudden urge to lick someone or something, that play of innocence or the need of a touch, everything about them makes them a characteristic part of our lives.”
Through and through, an animal is the one who will return your affection may be not with words, but with a lick or a wag of tail probably. You can surely count on this being to make your life better without expecting anything in return. Want to know yourself properly? Adopt a pet, today!
-Shivangi Chaturvedi
