I never thought I would be writing this but that’s how life works. It gives you things you never expect. My name is Ali. I was living a great life until a grave incident happened to me. I was happily married to my wife Sania and I was very happy with my life. We would rarely have a fight and we would take great care of each other. We were how a great couple could be. There was nothing wrong. But Sania would get upset sometimes as we had no children. It was God’s will and maybe he didn’t want that. I guess you can’t have everything you wish for. I was fine with it as long as we both were living a happy and successful life. And we were. I would go to my job 5 days a week and earn for her whereas she was the housewife and she would care for my house. But there came a time, when our life didn’t stay as it always had been. When I would turn up at home, Sania would be angry and ready to fight with me.
Me having worked hard all day at my office, wouldn’t be ready to bear all this. But still I would try not to fight. She would understand sometimes and sometimes she wouldn’t and we would fight and go to sleep angry. Then the next day, it would get sorted. It started getting worse and she started fighting daily and there was no chance that I could avoid fights at any cost. Now she wouldn’t listen to anything but be angry and fight. I was worried. I was mentally unequipped to deal with all this mental strength.
I was having busy days at my office as well and somehow we couldn’t discuss it for months. I thought I should talk to her one weekend when I would be free. So on a Sunday, I sat with her and told her I wanted to discuss the alarming number of increasing fights we were having. She stood up and went away without replying. I was shocked. She wasn’t the person I had married or had fallen in love with. I went to sleep angrily that night. It was the middle of the night when I suddenly woke up and saw Sania sitting and crying. I asked her what the issue was. She told me she had been upset because she had no one to talk to. She thought she would have her children who she can talk to but now she is all alone. She had nothing to do and she gets bored in the house which makes her think about negative things and due to which she is in a perplexed mental state. She was facing anger issues due to all this. She told me she wanted a pet for her. At this I had gotten pissed off. I got angry and told her a pet was of no use and I didn’t have money to waste on a pet who isn’t even a human or our child that I would spend money on. I slept angry and didn’t care. Next morning, I went office without talking to Sania. I kept thinking about it whole day and finally the thought came to me that she was actually right. She must have someone who she can spend her time with as all she had to do was get bored due to having nothing to do at home.
It was actually a boring routine and can make any person mentally perplexed and break any person. I thought about how wrong I was. So I went home that day and called Sania. I discussed with her about getting a dog. I told her that weekend when I would be free, we would go to get it. We searched different breeds of dogs and researched everything about them. I wasn’t much interested in the dog itself but I was just happy seeing my wife again. She was happy and busy the next couple of days. We somehow found the breed she wanted and made the order. It was going to take about a month to reach.
October2010:
Finally, we received it a few days before we expected it. We had got a French bulldog puppy as Sania thought it was really cute. I had no problem with it either. It reached and was a tiny little creature with pointed ears and a round shaped face. It was very soft and when Sania held it in her hands the first time, she gave a cry of joy. She was really happy and she hugged me happily. I was happy too. At least our life would be back to normal, I thought.
And as the days went on, I realized maybe I was wrong. Our life did get better but somehow I didn’t like the dog on my bed. I didn’t use to like dogs that much and this was a bit new for me. But I was doing it for my wife’s happiness. But one thing changed that was we weren’t fighting any more. Tho I had to get the dog food and it was increasing my monthly expenditure, I was glad I could contribute to my wife’s happiness and made a correct decision.
March 2011:
Life was going on well when one day I returned home, Sania csme and told me Pinto wasn’t feeling good today and that we needed to get him to a vet. Yes , Pinto was the name for our bulldog that Sania had decided after a lot of thought process and she wanted to have that name. I had no say in it and I didn’t mind that as it wasn’t important to me. Unwilling, I took the vet’s appointment and we went to him. He told us about the medicines, we had to give Pinto. I was furious as I was already spending so much on him and now this will make so hard for me to balance my expenditures and my savings.
I explained so much to Sania that it wasn’t worth it and that dogs don’t need medicine for getting better. They get better themselves. But Sania wouldn’t listen. I wanted to sell Pinto to someone who had the money to take proper care of him. We had a great fight that day and I had to surrender later on and did. Due to which we got his medicines. At least, Sania used to take proper care of the medicines herself and she kept great care of Pinto's medicines. She would daily keep alarms for the times of medicines.
April 2011;
After a month, Pinto started getting better and Sania got the fruit of her valiant efforts. We were all happy again. I had gotten used to this new life that had been added to our lives and I was no more critical about it and the expenditures as I thought I had no such big sacrifices to make and our expenditures were even not that great. Life had came to a still.
June 2015:
We had spent years of happiness together now and we had gotten used to of each other’s likings and dis likings. Due to which we rarely had fights in those last 5 years. All was well until one day the most frustrating day of my life happened.
18th June,2015:
I came home and found Sania laying motionless on the bed and Pinto staring sadly at the lifeless body of Sania. I was shaken. I had lost half of my world. I wanted my life to end and nothing else mattered anymore. Job was worthless and that dog felt useless. It was so upsetting. The funeral was excruciating. People came and tried to console me but I wasn’t there. Nothing could help me. I didn’t go to my job for days and stopped answering any calls or didn’t reply to any messages. I was mentally exhausted. I felt this was the end of the world for me. I didn’t care about the dog even one bit.
I wasn’t getting any food for him. He wasn’t receiving any love that he used to receive from Sania before. It felt like it was sad for the demise of his owner but I didn’t care. I wasn’t paying any attention to it. The next couple of days went really slowly and sadly.
14th July, 2015:
I finally started going back to work and they accepted me as they knew about the situation I was going through. I still wasn’t there at my job mentally and when I would come home I had nothing to do except looking at that dog who no longer mattered. In fact, it was a burden on me now. It reminded me of my good days, the days of my life with Sania. I would give him something to eat sometimes but mostly I wouldn’t and he would find things himself. I realized I had gotten really bitter in life I really hated taking care of him. I couldn’t even take care of myself those days let alone think about him.
I started realizing how Sania used to feel alone at home. It would make me more sad. But this was even more painful as my partner was no more yet I could feel how lonely she must have felt those days she was alone. The dog had gone crazy as well after the loss of his owner. He would go out himself sometimes and I would let him. I didn’t even want him to come back but he always ended up returning home. I was thinking of who to sell it to. Who would even want that dog. I couldn’t look at it any more coz of the feelings I get after looking at it.
5th September, 2015:
One day I reached home and the dog wasn’t there as usual. It had gotten so wild, I thought to myself. He didn’t return that day and it was getting late. I started getting a bit worried about him. I finally went out searching for him everywhere. I checked every single place we used to go with him or the places he loved. I could find him no where. I was so worried because he would usually come to the house by this time.
So I go back home to see if by any chance, he reached home when I wasn’t there. But he is nowhere to be found. At this moment I realize my poor behavior with the dog and how bad of a human being I had been the past couple of months not taking care of a lively creature who was there for me . I went out again in search of Pinto again and as I am walking by, I remembered I didn’t check a field that was nearby. I go there to look for him and I see him on the floor all bruised up and there is furry mess everywhere. I notice that he is injured pretty badly. When I see the state he is in, I get dumbstruck.
I realize my neglect again and think about how I was inflicting pain and injuries to this poor little soul and in search of something he went out and got himself broken and injured. As I am sat there in disbelief, I see a neighbor and he comes up to me and tells me how Pinto had a scuffle with another dog and how badly the other dog battered him and how his owner didn’t even stop him and let those things happen. I was shocked and annoyed to hear that. I quickly grabbed Pinto and took it with me in a taxi. On the way, I felt really bad how Pinto was the only one thing I had. The only responsibility Sania had left we with. And if she would have seen him in that condition, she would have been crying. And even the condition he was in before the fight and how I wasn’t taking care of him, Sania wouldn’t be happy at all.
I needed to save him at any cost. I need to appreciate him and I have no other choice. I had to take him to the vet even though it would cost me so much money. I wasn’t bothered about the money anymore. We reached the vet and I quickly got in asking people to let me because my case was really serious. He got his X-Rays done and some injections. It took a while and then the vet came back. Vet was surprised at his condition being a pet dog . He questioned me about his condition and when I told him he criticized me and told me to take care of him next time. But he told me his condition was really critical as he had been really badly injured so the vet didn’t know of he will make it.
The vets then told me Pinto would have to stay with them for a few days. I was really upset and hated myself for doing that to that little creature. Those days were really painful. I started to reflect om my life with him and how he was such a faithful pet for me and Sania. He had been there with me even when I didn’t care about him and wouldn’t provide him food. Instead he had to go search for it and he would always return to me knowing that the only owner he had left was me. I wanted him to survive and I prayed for his recovery. I thought if he makes it, I will never neglect him again. In fact, I would provide him with the best I can not caring about the money. I just wanted to do something about him as I felt so strongly about it. For this I set up a charity for helping the dogs who get neglected or abused and have no owners. I worked really hard going to people who cared about pets that much and organized as much money I could.
10th September, 2015:
Then as my charity was going well, I got a call from the vet saying Pinto has made it but he might not be totally the same. He has a problem now which will last a while. I was really happy that at least he had recovered. I decorated the house for his arrival and called all my friends and relatives and everyone celebrated together. I was grateful that he was alive so I made vows to always take best care of him now. And I invested more of myself into the charity work that I had started for helping dogs. From that day, I always took great care of Pinto getting him dog food every week, playing with it daily and taking it to different places for it’s enjoyment.
January 2019:
We had four great years and finally time came when he parted from me one day. I grieved his loss and a big part of me was lost once again. But I kept a brave heart and continued my journey of working for the charity of dogs.
End Note:
But oh my poor Pinto I don’t know if I gave you the love you deserved. You will forever be in my heart just like Sania and I will never forget those precious moments we all spent together.
