A Street Dog
I am a street dog, who, belongs to no one, has nowhere to go, and, no one to look after me. I spend the whole day, and every day just loitering about the streets just aimlessly – or, you could say, in search of food.
My life is confined to pursuing my search for food all day. Never think that this work is easy, no, no not at all. I have to work very hard, move along houses, rubbish dumps and only then I may get a morsel or two to satisfy my hunger. Besides working hard, many a time I have to fight with other dogs of my clan who are also looking for food like me. I also have to hear streams of abuses when I pass through houses or flats. Some owners of houses even hit me with sticks or stones. These abuses are my daily routine tonic, but, what can I do, I have to look for food. Man does not realize that, I also need food for life to sustain just like him. The mainstay of my quota of daily bread comes from the overflowing dustbins in the colony where I live. There are several dustbins made of concrete where the sweepers of the colony put all the rubbish thrown by men living in the colony. After the sweepers have filled the bins I and some of my unfortunate pals start our search for whatever we can find by way of food. I thank the authorities who have never thought of putting covers on these dustbins, for, if they were covered how would I find my daily bread.
When we are inside the dustbins, I, at times do wonder as to how much food people throw. For, every day, I and at least four of my friends get our belly full breakfast and lunch. I am at the same time, of course thankful to men for, if they did not throw any food, where would I and many of my clan get food. Though, I am thankful to man for throwing so much food, at the same time, I do not understand man’s psychology for I have seen that, whenever, I, or any one of us is sitting in front of a house, expecting a few morsels of food, the owners hit us, hoot us away. They never, yes never give a single crumb of bread, and, at the same time, throw so much in the bin. Only if they thought of us and, gave us whatever they plan to throw, life would be easier for us. Besides, man does not seem to realize that if we get food at their doorstep, we would look after the safety of the house and its occupants. However, this does not happen, it seems that man prefers to throw food rather than serve it to the needy. This is life for me and my friends and fellowmen. All the time we are engaged in looking for food to keep body and soul together. In this process at times we even finish each other and wound each other. In the summer and the winter seasons also, I have a very difficult time in trying to protect myself from the scorching sun or the biting cold winds. I take shelter under a car, under a tree or, at times in verandahs of houses, just to be shooed off. Here also I usually see that men do not like to give shelter to any one in need, I am often hit and thrown out of verandahs or any shelters that belong to man. At times things do surprise me more than usual. This happens when the owner of a house is throwing me out of his house, and I notice that he owns a dog himself – that means he is a dog lover and yet he is rough with me. I just cannot understand how, he can love one dog and not another – that is me. The most difficult time for me is when, at times during my movement on the roads, I find that a car moving on the road has a pet dog peeping out of the window. I find this dog is travelling in a car, and, is being cajoled and pampered by the child in the car. Seeing this, I feel terribly depressed and do wonder, how there can be so much difference in the lives of two creatures of the same species. That dog in the car is loved, cared for, fed well, gets medication when he falls ill and here, I am all alone in the world with no one to love me and care for me. In contradiction to this life, I also being a dog, has no more than fending for myself and get abuses all the time and everywhere I go. This world of differentiation’s is simply heart breaking for me and, I pray to God that in my next life if HE still makes me a dog, HE must please give me a better life.
In this life, there is no succor for me and a change can only come in my life when I die and take another birth- Oh! GOD, help me improve my fate in my next life.
