Rosy

This is the amazing story of a dog which adopted me! I had never been a dog lover. I never thought of keeping a dog or for that matter any pet. It all  changed in 1974 when I was posted at Mhow, a captain, instructor, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering. One of my colleagues had a dog named "Rosy"which stayed with him in the room. We were about 10 instructors staying in a block near HQ Officers' Mess. I was on the ground floor in a room 4. Rosy's owner lived in room 1 and we had a common orderly, Nazir. I had seen Rosy with my colleague going for a walk as an obedient follower. At times she accompanied Nazir to my room, always staying with him as long as he was there.

Then the worst thing happened. My colleague went on posting leaving Rosy behind. It went unnoticed for sometime since Nazir took care of Rosy. He used to get food for some of us from the Mess and there was enough to feed the dog as well. Rosy continued to live in the block sleeping on the verandah and at times in my room. Then Rosy suddenly started losing her hair. She was very attractive with her black and shining coat but with the loss of hair she looked sick and miserable if not repulsive. In this condition, I started noticing her more and more. She used to curl up in a corner of my room. I made sure there was something to feed her always. Rosy looked ugly and my friends started passing comments on her and on how I was tolerating a sick dog in my room. Then a close friend of mine, Captain Thomas Verghese, suggested to take her to a Vet and he volunteered to come along. Thomas helped a  lot in getting the right medical attention and care for Rosy.

 Rosy responded to the medication marvelously. She regained her health and with her new coat she looked rather cute. It was a turning point in our relations, as well. She started taking interest in me, accompanying me for my walks, waiting for my return to the room and escorting me from my car or scooter to my room. She would wait for me to finish my breakfast before she ate. She was very effective in communicating and I began to love the company. In the space of 3-4 weeks it was a big change for me. I felt more comfortable and secure in her company and always wanted to get back to my room. In a sense it was Rosy adopting me! She trained me on how to take care of a pet. I became more organized in my routine!