Essay 02
Essay 02
Essay 02
Essay 02
Ollie
Ollie
Ollie
Ollie
1 Oct 2023
1 Oct 2023
1 Oct 2023
1 Oct 2023
6 min
6 min
6 min
6 min
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On most days, I walk to school with my brothers. They are 13 and 15, I am 9. But right now, I have to walk to school alone.
It is open house in school. Every year my school gives coupons to the kids that do well in exams and on open house, you can buy books with these coupons. When I was walking to school with my mom and brothers earlier today, I realised I had forgotten them at home. My mom was already late for my brothers’ events so she said she couldn’t go back with me. But these books were my primary source of entertainment for the whole summer, I loved them. So I insisted that I would go get them quickly and catch up with them. My mom was hesitant but she agreed.
I had secured the coupons but the journey to school was a little daunting. It was a small lane so there was no traffic but there were dogs. I kept staring at them from the corner of my eye as I walked pretending to be nonchalant, indifferent. They were following me with their eyes but continued resting. As I covered a significant portion of this lane, I could keep calm no longer and began running. And the dogs - they started running behind me. (I will later learn that dogs have a chasing instinct.)
This is my worst nightmare come true. Alone with dogs chasing me. The lane was pretty empty except for me and the dogs. I was running for my life - scared and crying. I hit my foot on some debris and fell down on my knees. A horror ran through me. Suddenly, I heard a lady scream. The dogs were gathering where I fell, scattered. A lady ran up to me and helped me up. My white prefect dress was covered in blood from the fall. I was in shock. I found myself unable to breathe as I sobbed. She seemed to know my mother and asked me where she was. I told her she was in school with my brothers. She said it was okay, she would walk with me to school. When we got to school, my mother saw me and looked terrified. My mom never cried in public, she just dealt with whatever it was that needed dealing. I told her what had happened. She let me cry it out and walked me to the doctor. I got a really painful injection.
And a lifelong fear of dogs.
On most days, I walk to school with my brothers. They are 13 and 15, I am 9. But right now, I have to walk to school alone.
It is open house in school. Every year my school gives coupons to the kids that do well in exams and on open house, you can buy books with these coupons. When I was walking to school with my mom and brothers earlier today, I realised I had forgotten them at home. My mom was already late for my brothers’ events so she said she couldn’t go back with me. But these books were my primary source of entertainment for the whole summer, I loved them. So I insisted that I would go get them quickly and catch up with them. My mom was hesitant but she agreed.
I had secured the coupons but the journey to school was a little daunting. It was a small lane so there was no traffic but there were dogs. I kept staring at them from the corner of my eye as I walked pretending to be nonchalant, indifferent. They were following me with their eyes but continued resting. As I covered a significant portion of this lane, I could keep calm no longer and began running. And the dogs - they started running behind me. (I will later learn that dogs have a chasing instinct.)
This is my worst nightmare come true. Alone with dogs chasing me. The lane was pretty empty except for me and the dogs. I was running for my life - scared and crying. I hit my foot on some debris and fell down on my knees. A horror ran through me. Suddenly, I heard a lady scream. The dogs were gathering where I fell, scattered. A lady ran up to me and helped me up. My white prefect dress was covered in blood from the fall. I was in shock. I found myself unable to breathe as I sobbed. She seemed to know my mother and asked me where she was. I told her she was in school with my brothers. She said it was okay, she would walk with me to school. When we got to school, my mother saw me and looked terrified. My mom never cried in public, she just dealt with whatever it was that needed dealing. I told her what had happened. She let me cry it out and walked me to the doctor. I got a really painful injection.
And a lifelong fear of dogs.
On most days, I walk to school with my brothers. They are 13 and 15, I am 9. But right now, I have to walk to school alone.
It is open house in school. Every year my school gives coupons to the kids that do well in exams and on open house, you can buy books with these coupons. When I was walking to school with my mom and brothers earlier today, I realised I had forgotten them at home. My mom was already late for my brothers’ events so she said she couldn’t go back with me. But these books were my primary source of entertainment for the whole summer, I loved them. So I insisted that I would go get them quickly and catch up with them. My mom was hesitant but she agreed.
I had secured the coupons but the journey to school was a little daunting. It was a small lane so there was no traffic but there were dogs. I kept staring at them from the corner of my eye as I walked pretending to be nonchalant, indifferent. They were following me with their eyes but continued resting. As I covered a significant portion of this lane, I could keep calm no longer and began running. And the dogs - they started running behind me. (I will later learn that dogs have a chasing instinct.)
This is my worst nightmare come true. Alone with dogs chasing me. The lane was pretty empty except for me and the dogs. I was running for my life - scared and crying. I hit my foot on some debris and fell down on my knees. A horror ran through me. Suddenly, I heard a lady scream. The dogs were gathering where I fell, scattered. A lady ran up to me and helped me up. My white prefect dress was covered in blood from the fall. I was in shock. I found myself unable to breathe as I sobbed. She seemed to know my mother and asked me where she was. I told her she was in school with my brothers. She said it was okay, she would walk with me to school. When we got to school, my mother saw me and looked terrified. My mom never cried in public, she just dealt with whatever it was that needed dealing. I told her what had happened. She let me cry it out and walked me to the doctor. I got a really painful injection.
And a lifelong fear of dogs.
In public places, most stray dogs mind their own business and not many people had pets where I grew up so I managed to never have an incident like this again. When I moved to Bangalore though, everyone had dogs. Every time I enter a house with dogs, a certain kind of ritual emerges. I refuse to sit down till the dog moves on from their curiosity about me and decides that I am not that interesting.
But as time passed, I became friends with some dogs. On vacation, in a neutral territory outdoors, I meet dogs that treat me so gently that I almost let my guard down. There is Tintin and Aadu in Doi. Aadu who keeps me company on warm mornings as I try to work and maybe even whispers to me that I must quit. Tintin who doesn’t think or talk, just quietly follows everyone around looking for food. When I leave Doi, I miss Aadu as much as the hills. Then I go to Aikkya and meet Julie and her sons, Golu and Motu. Golu and Motu fight every morning on the lawns aggressively and when they get too close to me for comfort, Julie intervenes and shepherds them away. I photograph her and she joins us on treks.
My partner, Advaith, has always wanted a dog and my evident fear of them has stopped us from getting one. I start building courage and keep sending dog adoption posts to Advaith hoping he will take the bait. He doesn’t. One day, I saw a dog adoption post on Instagram. I try to convince Advaith to just go meet him. We don’t have to make a decision, I say. I am not working currently so I have time on my hands and it wouldn’t hurt us to meet the dog, maybe even foster him. He agrees. We meet the dog’s fosters. The dog takes to us immediately, licks us, takes treats, and goes on a walk. We spent an amazing 2 hours with him.
When we are on our way home, we have decided. A bed has been bought along with other things he may need. His foster says we can have a trial week since we are first-time pet parents, but once Ollie comes home, he stays with us.
Between Advaith and me, we have digested dog training books and YouTube videos. We learn what it takes to be good dog parents, what it means to advocate for your dog, how training can help dogs and everyone around them, be safe. We learn that a dog takes 3 months to believe this new place is his home. We discuss what we read and practice it without a dog. We read Turid Rugaas’ ‘Calming signs’ that explains how dogs communicate with their body language. We learn from her what their barks mean - short high pitched barks are excitement, growling is guarding, static barks are frustration and a howl, a call for help or anxiety at being separated from the pack.
I have never slept with a dog in my room. The first night, I am on edge as Ollie paces back and forth in the room. He lies down at different spots trying to figure out where he is comfortable. Once he picks a spot, he sleeps through the night. Ollie barks constantly sometimes at me and after many google and reddit searches I have no idea why, leading to many meltdowns on my part. Some evenings, he barks at me to get his meals early and I am too scared to ignore him as Advaith says I should. I can’t play with abandon, I am worried everytime he gets too excited because I am still learning that he loves me. Advaith takes on lots of responsibilities and I resign to a life where I will be the spare human.
On Ollie’s part, he is the perfect dog even though I am not the perfect human. He loves to learn and he learns quickly. He learns to play gently with me and keeps his dog self for Advaith. He is a good boy and sleeps in his bed. When I am sad and I cry, he barks at me like he is asking me to stop. When I stop, he comes and licks me.
But in a few months, Ollie and I have rituals. When I walk out of the bedroom in the morning, I sit on the floor and he sits next to me. I give him belly rubs and tell him how much of a good boy he is while he listens and agrees. When I work at my desk, he sits as close he can to my chair making me immobile which is good for my distracted mind. I know how many times dogs have entered and exited the building, and how many visitors my neighbours have had because he barks every time. I have conversations with him which I am convinced he understands. He meets my parents, my friends, my siblings. At night, he gets on our bed, sleeps next to me and stares into my eyes (with an emotion that makes me feel loved) and then in about 10 minutes, he goes and sleeps on his bed. He is a dog that likes space.
Except the day, I am leaving for a trip, he sleeps near my feet all night. When I leave at 6 a.m. to catch my flight, he watches me from the balcony above and howls.
In public places, most stray dogs mind their own business and not many people had pets where I grew up so I managed to never have an incident like this again. When I moved to Bangalore though, everyone had dogs. Every time I enter a house with dogs, a certain kind of ritual emerges. I refuse to sit down till the dog moves on from their curiosity about me and decides that I am not that interesting.
But as time passed, I became friends with some dogs. On vacation, in a neutral territory outdoors, I meet dogs that treat me so gently that I almost let my guard down. There is Tintin and Aadu in Doi. Aadu who keeps me company on warm mornings as I try to work and maybe even whispers to me that I must quit. Tintin who doesn’t think or talk, just quietly follows everyone around looking for food. When I leave Doi, I miss Aadu as much as the hills. Then I go to Aikkya and meet Julie and her sons, Golu and Motu. Golu and Motu fight every morning on the lawns aggressively and when they get too close to me for comfort, Julie intervenes and shepherds them away. I photograph her and she joins us on treks.
My partner, Advaith, has always wanted a dog and my evident fear of them has stopped us from getting one. I start building courage and keep sending dog adoption posts to Advaith hoping he will take the bait. He doesn’t. One day, I saw a dog adoption post on Instagram. I try to convince Advaith to just go meet him. We don’t have to make a decision, I say. I am not working currently so I have time on my hands and it wouldn’t hurt us to meet the dog, maybe even foster him. He agrees. We meet the dog’s fosters. The dog takes to us immediately, licks us, takes treats, and goes on a walk. We spent an amazing 2 hours with him.
When we are on our way home, we have decided. A bed has been bought along with other things he may need. His foster says we can have a trial week since we are first-time pet parents, but once Ollie comes home, he stays with us.
Between Advaith and me, we have digested dog training books and YouTube videos. We learn what it takes to be good dog parents, what it means to advocate for your dog, how training can help dogs and everyone around them, be safe. We learn that a dog takes 3 months to believe this new place is his home. We discuss what we read and practice it without a dog. We read Turid Rugaas’ ‘Calming signs’ that explains how dogs communicate with their body language. We learn from her what their barks mean - short high pitched barks are excitement, growling is guarding, static barks are frustration and a howl, a call for help or anxiety at being separated from the pack.
I have never slept with a dog in my room. The first night, I am on edge as Ollie paces back and forth in the room. He lies down at different spots trying to figure out where he is comfortable. Once he picks a spot, he sleeps through the night. Ollie barks constantly sometimes at me and after many google and reddit searches I have no idea why, leading to many meltdowns on my part. Some evenings, he barks at me to get his meals early and I am too scared to ignore him as Advaith says I should. I can’t play with abandon, I am worried everytime he gets too excited because I am still learning that he loves me. Advaith takes on lots of responsibilities and I resign to a life where I will be the spare human.
On Ollie’s part, he is the perfect dog even though I am not the perfect human. He loves to learn and he learns quickly. He learns to play gently with me and keeps his dog self for Advaith. He is a good boy and sleeps in his bed. When I am sad and I cry, he barks at me like he is asking me to stop. When I stop, he comes and licks me.
But in a few months, Ollie and I have rituals. When I walk out of the bedroom in the morning, I sit on the floor and he sits next to me. I give him belly rubs and tell him how much of a good boy he is while he listens and agrees. When I work at my desk, he sits as close he can to my chair making me immobile which is good for my distracted mind. I know how many times dogs have entered and exited the building, and how many visitors my neighbours have had because he barks every time. I have conversations with him which I am convinced he understands. He meets my parents, my friends, my siblings. At night, he gets on our bed, sleeps next to me and stares into my eyes (with an emotion that makes me feel loved) and then in about 10 minutes, he goes and sleeps on his bed. He is a dog that likes space.
Except the day, I am leaving for a trip, he sleeps near my feet all night. When I leave at 6 a.m. to catch my flight, he watches me from the balcony above and howls.
In public places, most stray dogs mind their own business and not many people had pets where I grew up so I managed to never have an incident like this again. When I moved to Bangalore though, everyone had dogs. Every time I enter a house with dogs, a certain kind of ritual emerges. I refuse to sit down till the dog moves on from their curiosity about me and decides that I am not that interesting.
But as time passed, I became friends with some dogs. On vacation, in a neutral territory outdoors, I meet dogs that treat me so gently that I almost let my guard down. There is Tintin and Aadu in Doi. Aadu who keeps me company on warm mornings as I try to work and maybe even whispers to me that I must quit. Tintin who doesn’t think or talk, just quietly follows everyone around looking for food. When I leave Doi, I miss Aadu as much as the hills. Then I go to Aikkya and meet Julie and her sons, Golu and Motu. Golu and Motu fight every morning on the lawns aggressively and when they get too close to me for comfort, Julie intervenes and shepherds them away. I photograph her and she joins us on treks.
My partner, Advaith, has always wanted a dog and my evident fear of them has stopped us from getting one. I start building courage and keep sending dog adoption posts to Advaith hoping he will take the bait. He doesn’t. One day, I saw a dog adoption post on Instagram. I try to convince Advaith to just go meet him. We don’t have to make a decision, I say. I am not working currently so I have time on my hands and it wouldn’t hurt us to meet the dog, maybe even foster him. He agrees. We meet the dog’s fosters. The dog takes to us immediately, licks us, takes treats, and goes on a walk. We spent an amazing 2 hours with him.
When we are on our way home, we have decided. A bed has been bought along with other things he may need. His foster says we can have a trial week since we are first-time pet parents, but once Ollie comes home, he stays with us.
Between Advaith and me, we have digested dog training books and YouTube videos. We learn what it takes to be good dog parents, what it means to advocate for your dog, how training can help dogs and everyone around them, be safe. We learn that a dog takes 3 months to believe this new place is his home. We discuss what we read and practice it without a dog. We read Turid Rugaas’ ‘Calming signs’ that explains how dogs communicate with their body language. We learn from her what their barks mean - short high pitched barks are excitement, growling is guarding, static barks are frustration and a howl, a call for help or anxiety at being separated from the pack.
I have never slept with a dog in my room. The first night, I am on edge as Ollie paces back and forth in the room. He lies down at different spots trying to figure out where he is comfortable. Once he picks a spot, he sleeps through the night. Ollie barks constantly sometimes at me and after many google and reddit searches I have no idea why, leading to many meltdowns on my part. Some evenings, he barks at me to get his meals early and I am too scared to ignore him as Advaith says I should. I can’t play with abandon, I am worried everytime he gets too excited because I am still learning that he loves me. Advaith takes on lots of responsibilities and I resign to a life where I will be the spare human.
On Ollie’s part, he is the perfect dog even though I am not the perfect human. He loves to learn and he learns quickly. He learns to play gently with me and keeps his dog self for Advaith. He is a good boy and sleeps in his bed. When I am sad and I cry, he barks at me like he is asking me to stop. When I stop, he comes and licks me.
But in a few months, Ollie and I have rituals. When I walk out of the bedroom in the morning, I sit on the floor and he sits next to me. I give him belly rubs and tell him how much of a good boy he is while he listens and agrees. When I work at my desk, he sits as close he can to my chair making me immobile which is good for my distracted mind. I know how many times dogs have entered and exited the building, and how many visitors my neighbours have had because he barks every time. I have conversations with him which I am convinced he understands. He meets my parents, my friends, my siblings. At night, he gets on our bed, sleeps next to me and stares into my eyes (with an emotion that makes me feel loved) and then in about 10 minutes, he goes and sleeps on his bed. He is a dog that likes space.
Except the day, I am leaving for a trip, he sleeps near my feet all night. When I leave at 6 a.m. to catch my flight, he watches me from the balcony above and howls.
In public places, most stray dogs mind their own business and not many people had pets where I grew up so I managed to never have an incident like this again. When I moved to Bangalore though, everyone had dogs. Every time I enter a house with dogs, a certain kind of ritual emerges. I refuse to sit down till the dog moves on from their curiosity about me and decides that I am not that interesting.
But as time passed, I became friends with some dogs. On vacation, in a neutral territory outdoors, I meet dogs that treat me so gently that I almost let my guard down. There is Tintin and Aadu in Doi. Aadu who keeps me company on warm mornings as I try to work and maybe even whispers to me that I must quit. Tintin who doesn’t think or talk, just quietly follows everyone around looking for food. When I leave Doi, I miss Aadu as much as the hills. Then I go to Aikkya and meet Julie and her sons, Golu and Motu. Golu and Motu fight every morning on the lawns aggressively and when they get too close to me for comfort, Julie intervenes and shepherds them away. I photograph her and she joins us on treks.
My partner, Advaith, has always wanted a dog and my evident fear of them has stopped us from getting one. I start building courage and keep sending dog adoption posts to Advaith hoping he will take the bait. He doesn’t. One day, I saw a dog adoption post on Instagram. I try to convince Advaith to just go meet him. We don’t have to make a decision, I say. I am not working currently so I have time on my hands and it wouldn’t hurt us to meet the dog, maybe even foster him. He agrees. We meet the dog’s fosters. The dog takes to us immediately, licks us, takes treats, and goes on a walk. We spent an amazing 2 hours with him.
When we are on our way home, we have decided. A bed has been bought along with other things he may need. His foster says we can have a trial week since we are first-time pet parents, but once Ollie comes home, he stays with us.
Between Advaith and me, we have digested dog training books and YouTube videos. We learn what it takes to be good dog parents, what it means to advocate for your dog, how training can help dogs and everyone around them, be safe. We learn that a dog takes 3 months to believe this new place is his home. We discuss what we read and practice it without a dog. We read Turid Rugaas’ ‘Calming signs’ that explains how dogs communicate with their body language. We learn from her what their barks mean - short high pitched barks are excitement, growling is guarding, static barks are frustration and a howl, a call for help or anxiety at being separated from the pack.
I have never slept with a dog in my room. The first night, I am on edge as Ollie paces back and forth in the room. He lies down at different spots trying to figure out where he is comfortable. Once he picks a spot, he sleeps through the night. Ollie barks constantly sometimes at me and after many google and reddit searches I have no idea why, leading to many meltdowns on my part. Some evenings, he barks at me to get his meals early and I am too scared to ignore him as Advaith says I should. I can’t play with abandon, I am worried everytime he gets too excited because I am still learning that he loves me. Advaith takes on lots of responsibilities and I resign to a life where I will be the spare human.
On Ollie’s part, he is the perfect dog even though I am not the perfect human. He loves to learn and he learns quickly. He learns to play gently with me and keeps his dog self for Advaith. He is a good boy and sleeps in his bed. When I am sad and I cry, he barks at me like he is asking me to stop. When I stop, he comes and licks me.
But in a few months, Ollie and I have rituals. When I walk out of the bedroom in the morning, I sit on the floor and he sits next to me. I give him belly rubs and tell him how much of a good boy he is while he listens and agrees. When I work at my desk, he sits as close he can to my chair making me immobile which is good for my distracted mind. I know how many times dogs have entered and exited the building, and how many visitors my neighbours have had because he barks every time. I have conversations with him which I am convinced he understands. He meets my parents, my friends, my siblings. At night, he gets on our bed, sleeps next to me and stares into my eyes (with an emotion that makes me feel loved) and then in about 10 minutes, he goes and sleeps on his bed. He is a dog that likes space.
Except the day, I am leaving for a trip, he sleeps near my feet all night. When I leave at 6 a.m. to catch my flight, he watches me from the balcony above and howls.
Get a mail everytime a post goes up.
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Get a mail everytime a post goes up.
It will be a reminder to stop scrolling and read something fun.
FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR JUST WANT TO SAY HI.
Design/dev by @itsiddharth
Get a mail everytime a post goes up.
It will be a reminder to stop scrolling and read something fun.
FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR JUST WANT TO SAY HI.
Design/dev by @itsiddharth
Get a mail everytime a post goes up.
It will be a reminder to stop scrolling and read something fun.
FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR JUST WANT TO SAY HI.
Design/dev by @itsiddharth