A Stray Issue (Part II)
A complex issue of stray dogs in a gated community
With the Chihuahua found safe and sound, the stray lovers had waged a counter attack mentioning that the dogs were being portrayed as cannibals (I thought only humans eating humans are cannibals- guess, I am wrong- at least politically).
The discussions on the count of dogs in the society continued. One person remarked that if pet dogs were included, the complex had 72 dogs and that made even the lifts a dangerous place to be. Dogs in all shapes and sizes- right from a Pomeranian to a German Shephard, a Retriever, a Doberman, a Bull dog- just to name a few- were a daily sighting.
There was also a growing discontent on the “Pet Owners” WhatsApp group. They were disgruntled because they had to scoop up the poop after their pets relieved themselves. And the strays seemed to be mocking them as they defecated in the open and no one to clean up after them.
In order to arrest the simmering discontent and arrive at a solution, the G18 group was re-christened as “Stray Dog Committee”. After a significant amount of debate, the committee was finally able to arrive at a consensus. It was agreed that the count of strays would be restricted to 18, with no further increase being acceptable. Also, feeding spots would be identified so that the dogs would be confined to specific areas.
But just like coalition politics, the other members of the society who opposed strays were unhappy with the outcome- they had wanted strays to be out, but now, it seemed that strays were the original inhabitants and removing them was more herculean than removing unauthorised encroachments in Mumbai.
Some of the residents objected to the increased count of 18 and suggested that the count had gone up because the society next door had managed to push their strays into our complex- after all, our borders were as porous as the ones from where illegal immigrants seem to sneak into the country.
A few weeks of increasing Covid-19 cases shifted the discussion focus and the dog-man conflict was relegated to the background.
One day, the uneasy calm was shattered. A new story emerged that one of the stray dogs called Major had attacked a man and bitten his testicles. Someone on the group asked for a photograph. Naturally, his request was turned down.
But with more and more people corroborating this story, the residents wore a worried look. Many residents stopped going for their routine walks out of mortal fear for their future generations.
An enterprising resident in the sports good industry soon found a solution. He floated a Google form seeking orders for “center guards”- the ones used by batsmen when they play. His “Walk Without Fear” campaign was an instant hit and coupled with the promise of free home delivery, he was able to sell more center guards in a day than what he would have sold in an entire year! In hindsight, I think it was possibly this smart guy who floated the story of Major and his ferocious bite!
Meanwhile, the society was getting polarised- and the debate moved away from the problem on hand to whether the managing committee had taken adequate steps or not. There were voices raised against the managing committee and an equally large push back by the supporters. The rate at which messages dropped was something my 64GB phone could no longer handle and finally gave up. I had to upgrade to a 128GB one just to keep pace. And Space.
One member even suggested that a Korean expat family staying in the complex had offered a “delicious” solution to the problem if they were given a chance. The suggestion caused a furore with one person threatening to call Maneka Gandhi, who, he claimed, was on his speed dial.
And while this debate was going on, suddenly, one member dropped a bomb. Four new pups were born on the campus! Rani, the bitch, had delivered a litter. Realisation dawned that while the male dogs had been neutered, a similar exercise for the female dogs had not been carried out!
Photographs of the newborns were circulated. Small cute dark brown pups with small legs, sharp ears and pointed black nose. I got into the lift and was looking at the photographs wondering who the father might be. As I got out of the lift, I saw a person with Shin Chan get inside. The Chihuahua seemed to be smiling.
I recollected the day he had gone missing. And I had the answer in front of me.
Every dog has his day!
