A street dog on our very busy street is quite sick. His desperate need is to find some calm and shady place to rest.
He keeps shifting from this to that side of the road trying to avoid direct sunlight.
His senses have become sharper trying to find an open gate through which he could sneak into any of the numerous flats lining our busy street. Many a times he has surprised us with his presence under the staircase, in the backyard, near the motor room...
Ours is one of the widest with grill gates. Though we use only one entrance which has a bolt to keep unwanted visitors from coming in.
Whoever finds him tries to shoo him away but only for while until someone opens and just closes without bolting the gate. I wanted to know his modus operendi and watched him in action for a couple of days. He would sit at a distance, strategically across the road facing our gate. Whenever someone is at the gate, he watches and waits until they are gone. Then he slowly ambles his way to the gate and noses it open and lets himself in!
It was as if he was trying to punish anyone for being careless or lazy in not bolting the gate.
I found there was no use trying to chase the dog away, getting nervous about his presence. The only solution lay in educating people to latch the gate after them. Only that would deter the dog from entering our premises effectively. Alas we do not have a watchman to do it for us either.
Since I am off work for a couple of days, I took it upon myself to do something about it.
I have trained my ears to pick up the sound of opening of the gate and rush to our road-facing window through which I ask people to latch the gate after them so that the dog does not come in. This is my new job. Our complex has six flats and I have requested all members big and small besides regular visitors like the flower vendor, milkman, newspaper man, servants, salesmen, postman... who have all got to be reminded of this new activity. The dog knows that it is not welcome inside our premises, finding the gate closed, yet this one is a patient animal which keeps trying to get in!
Stray and irritable dogs are allowed to roam around freely on most streets. At times they chase cyclists who have to lift their legs high up to avoid getting bitten and yet have enough balance to cycle away fast from such a menace. At times you find a pack of them chasing innocent citizens. Their barks become unbearable at some times and you can deduce that some rag pickers are in the vicinity with their dirty sacks flung over their shoulders and a stick in hand to rummage the garbage.
Stray, sick and vicious dogs are a health hazard for us humans. They could harm unsuspecting people walking on roads. The municipality seems to be preoccupied with better jobs than these.
I feel bad for such dogs. I feel bad for all of us who could be their next target.
When someone rings up the Blue Cross for taking away such sick animals, they have always come up with a stock reply that they do not have enough space to take in additions right now.
It is indeed a sad plight for all us creatures.
Mahalakshmi.
No comments:
Post a Comment