Dachshund Woes

Apparently

dachshunds are very prone to:

obesity

heart attacks

back problems 

My Little Sascha

As a mark of respect to the dachshunds' German ancestry, I thought I would look for a German name. Quite the germane thing to do, I fancied. 'Sascha' was what I finally decided on after much research for four reasons:

1. Well, it's such a lovely name.
2. I had to be wise in picking an easy-to-pronounce name for everyone at home (From past experiences).
3. I hadn't yet been told what sex the pup would be. 'Sascha' is unisex : )
4. 'Sascha' translates as 'defender of mankind.' Like I said, germane!

Waiting for Sascha

I have always loved animals. Growing up, we always had some kind or the other around the house- dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs… and birds too- parrots, owls, mynahs, etc. But strangely, our pets never lived for too long. We lost so many, that our backyard, thanks to me, was often dotted with tiny mounds with flimsy wooden crosses held together by some string with the ‘R.I.P’ etched in coloured pens. Fresh graves would have tiny bouquets of wild flowers or a single stem of flower plucked from my mum’s garden, unbeknownst to her of course. Having quite a knack for things dramatic, besides the usual funeral procession, one time I supposedly even covered my head with a black scarf and wore my mother’s black goggles- the idea of what’s funereal in my little mind! So, as I grew older, I seemed to gradually distance myself from forming too much of an emotional bond with the pets because I knew that sooner or later, they would die. Later on, I must have figured out that cleaning up after they poop/ puke, feeding them on time, giving regular baths or keeping a watch on their whereabouts was quite a hassle and were things that I could really do without. Also, checking for fleas, some of which would get transferred to my body, thereby causing red bites all over, and so on became too much of a cross to bear at such a young age. Suffice it to say that as I grew older, I became quite the responsibility-shirker. But that’s besides the point. Or so I’d argue.

We never did stop keeping pets though. In fact, the genealogy of the dogs we have now can be traced back to at least four generations. Three, for the cats. Perhaps, for a later post, I could make a family tree and supplement it with pictures.

Anyway, over the past month or so, I have begun to want to take more responsibility… umm, in life. And woe to my parents, of all the things I could choose to dedicate my time, love and attention to, I have (alas) decided that I am ready to keep a pet. It might be said that we already have 4 dogs and a pup (leaving soon), and 6 cats. And I do love them all. Except for a cat or two. But I have been making room for a new addition- one who would be under my special care. I am ready for the poop/puke-cleaning, the routine feeding, bathing, training. So on the eve of her arrival, I think fondly of Sascha.