Blacky's Tale

After Kalu, our dear pet who was snatched from us by a leopard; I got home a small black stray pup and named him Blacky. He was a lovable, watchful and hardy fellow. He never got unwell in his short life of eight years. After all, he was an Indian Breed. Come what may.......scorching summers, chilling winters or even torrential rains...in early morning or in the middle of the night, he was always agile and active. His abode was a terrace facing a jungle where wild hares and foxes frequently strolled in the night. Entire night would witness Blacky on the move barking and running. He would thoroughly enjoy his night marathon and we could hear the thumping downstairs all night. As we were accustomed, it was never a disturbance. Blacky, like Kalu, too had a stint with a leopard but was fortunately with a cub. My aunt saw him jumping in the bushes one evening. Lo and Behold! He was playing with a small leopard. She instantly called him back. This incident really left us horrified. Had the mother leopard been in the vicinity, she would have surely gotten him. We thanked god.Blacky grew up to be a real stud. He used to hang around in the area with other dogs and would elope for days in the breeding season. We had never thought of getting him sterilized. Consequently every breeding season was a run away time for Blacky. He used to come back home after the season ended . We were aware of his seasonal absconding. No one had ever anticipated anything untoward happening to him. Nevertheless this apathy on our part cost us his life. When he was eight, he was badly injured by other dogs in a scuffle. As he came home, his ear was torn with tracts of maggots around. There were infective injuries on his head and the abdomen. He collapsed in no time. A great pet had become a victim of our negligence.