~ Shona Shona....Dil mera Shona...~

 The Pooch is always ready to greet any visitor who gives her a glance and is little affectionate towards her – she is effervescent and always wagging her tail when she comes to you and greet you ‘Good Morning’ in her own style – believe me, it has become a regular feature – if you observe her, she has stories to tell but the language barrier is the only bottleneck which she has far surpassed now –  Just observe her face  and you will see a qualm and at the same time inquisitiveness of living. 

The Canine is a new found friend and she stays in my neighborhood park – her broken left leg is a testimony to the fact that she had to fight her existence between other dogs in the vicinity to make a remarkable space for herself – she is alone and has no partner – confined to a limited area, she can be seen around the open gym which DDA has erected in various parks of Delhi.

Almost everyone likes her for the calm she has and a loving acceptance she bestows when she would meet you – I have lately named her ‘Shona’ ( meaning lovable in Punjabi 😊) and she seems to be a true synonym of her name – now that she has also got used to this new word / sound in her listening, she comes running when called with this name.

Just the other day she was missed as I was looking for her and thinking where she has gone – whether she is safe or has been shooed off by other dogs who have a considerable acumen in the area – as I searched, my worst fears came true – I could see her howling in excruciating pain as visible she was distraught – I could clearly sense that she has been attacked and she must have fought bravely but had clearly been outnumbered by a bunch of bow-wows who didn’t want to add any other dog in the vicinity.

As I neared her, she slowly wagged her tail, sensing that I was no stranger to her, she howled with love this time as I caressed her – she felt a little warmth and slowly tried to stand, which she was able to after some time and much effort – Now that the time has passed and she has recuperated well and is almost back to her true lovable self , I see her roaming fearlessly in the park , now that she has established new found home.

Amongst my good morning friends ,‘Shona’ has become the latest edition , each morning I expect to see her hale and hearty and it is only when I have a glimpse of her that the day is ‘sort of’ to a good start 😊 – my only contention being that she does not like the ‘Parle -G’ biscuits that I intent to feed her with – maybe she doesn’t like sugary things – quite unlike other canines in the area, who always have a sumptuous feast of the poor man’s biscuit. 

May be next time , I would try something better off – a load of milk soaked bread or Chapati mixed with milk – and she can accept my hospitality in all earnest – till then I am cherishing my new friend… a soul which makes me happy in the morning and starts my day with a woosh and energy… Thank you Shona for that presence…!