Rip Jimmy

Balajee · Mar 9, 2018

HariLakhera said: ↑

Jimmy is now with shouky, whom we lost last year. She was just four years old. Diagnosed as cancer, she was put to rest and buried in the backyard. We knew something is wrong as she was not as active she used to be and then the vet declared. No choice. RIP.
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HARILAKHERA SAD TO READ ABOUT YOUR DOG'S FATE. fOUR YEARS IS HARDLY AN AGE FOR A DOG TO DIE. jIMMY THAT WAY WAS LUCKY. SHE HARDLY SUFFERED FROM ANY AILMENT EXCEPT ARTHRITIS THAT SET IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. HER SUFFERING WAS HARDLY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.,

Balajee · Mar 10, 2018

Tamrakshar said: ↑

Bala ji, I understand your pain. I never had a pet dog, but I had pet birds of various varieties. Mithu was my favourite parrot. He was long, had eye-soothing green feathers and beautiful red beak (he bled my fingers on few occasions in his early days) . Red chilli was his favourite food. He could talk. I taught him several small sentences.

He didn't die, but he left me when he became young. I became morose for almost a week. Before that final breakup, he had escaped the cage on three occasions, and had flown away. But his range had been within the vicinity of my neighbourhood. On each occasion, I could spot him, and had approached him with the cage in my hand. I had yelled at him, "Mithu come on, please enter the cage." Like an obedient boy, he obliged. Happily, we came back home.

But on that fateful day, he intermingled with a flock of parrots. Finding so many compatriots -- maybe he got his fiancee too in the flock -- he didn't look back, and left me for ever. But, after the incident, every time I saw a flock of parrots, I ran like a crazy boy, and cried his name in the hope that he would once again come back. But, no such luck!
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tAMRAKSHAR i DON'T APPROVE OF KEEPING BIRDS FOR THEY HAVE TO BE J KEPT IN CAGES. bUT THAT IS NOT THE CASEW WITH DOGS. wHEN TRAINED WELL THEY DON'T NEED RESTRAINTS. tBUT CAGING BIRDS IS AN ACT OF CRUELTY.

Balajee · Mar 10, 2018

Viswamitra said: ↑

Dear Balajee,

It is heart-breaking to know your loss of Jimmy. You did great by recalling all her major memories in one snippet. Isn't it more painful to lose someone who thinks world of us? Most arguments are in the form of growling and not word for word. When we go out and come, the reception we get is remarkable. Once we get used to that kind of love, it is hard to part with it. I hope your family recovers from the loss soon.

Viswa
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vISWA AS A DOG OWNER YOU CAN FEEL MY PAIN. dOGS ARE UNSELFISH IN THEIR LOVE UNLIKE HUMANS..YES DOGS HAVE MINDS OF THEIR OWN BUT USUALLY THEY ALLOW THE HUMANS TO HAVE THEIR WAY. iT IS NOT THAT THEY CAN'T PLAY THE BOSS BUT ARE TOO LOVING FOR THAT. tHEY PREFER TO DOMINATE US THROUGH LOVE.

Balajee · Mar 10, 2018

iamsrihere said: ↑

Long ago, I had a cat as a pet.She had just given birth to kittens and we were fondly taking care of them. One day she was limping due to some hurt and that night she was attacked by 5 dogs. Unable to run away,she died. It was shocking and we couldnt accept it for days. That's when i realized i can no longer have pets because the pain after after they are gone is very difficult.
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t%^HAT IS REALLY HEART RENDING. cATS HAVE TO BE GUARDED MORE CAREFULLY THAN DOGS AS THEY ARE MORE INDEPENDENT AND TEND TO GET INTO TROUBLE.

Tamrakshar · Mar 10, 2018

Balajee said: ↑

tAMRAKSHAR i DON'T APPROVE OF KEEPING BIRDS FOR THEY HAVE TO BE J KEPT IN CAGES. bUT THAT IS NOT THE CASEW WITH DOGS. wHEN TRAINED WELL THEY DON'T NEED RESTRAINTS. tBUT CAGING BIRDS IS AN ACT OF CRUELTY.
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I agree Bala ji. In fact, keeping any animal in bound is not right. But, Mithu stayed in cage less than he stayed outside.

Balajee · Mar 11, 2018

AkilaMani said: ↑

I am sorry for your loss Balajee sir. I can feel the pain. I have felt the same pain, not once but five times over. Each one of them were such adorable companions and their passing is still painful to think about. Rest in peace Jimmy.
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Akilamani, that is the biggest pain for pet owners. To see them die beforew their eyes.

Balajee · Mar 11, 2018

Tamrakshar said: ↑

I agree Bala ji. In fact, keeping any animal in bound is not right. But, Mithu stayed in cage less than he stayed outside.
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So you gave the bird freedom and it took it. A wll trained dog need not be kept on leash. Jimmy was put on leash only when we took her for a walk . Because otherwise she would make a U turn after relieving herself and head for home avoiding any exercise.

Thyagarajan · Mar 13, 2018

O,

Balajee said: ↑

RIP JIMMY

One of the most cruel expressions in English lan guage is “Putting to Slee”. When it comrs to babies it probably means singing a lullaby but with animals it is a term that puts a soft focus on essentially a at Delhi’s Max Vet said her kidneys had started failing and even if they stopped the deterioration brutal act that of killing That is what we had to do to Jimmy this morning—have her put to sleep.

Jimmy our lab breathed her last just nine days before her 13th birthday. Throughout the years she has never been to a vet except for her shots and enjoyed exceptional health thanks to our loving care that went to the extent of spoiling her. Of late she developed broblems of old age like arthritis . Even that was not really serious. But during the last three days , she stopped eating and even drinking water and one of her legs was swollen. Her ever sharp mind deserted her and one of her legs was swollen.

Doctors at Delhi’s Max Vet said her kidneys had started failing and even if they stopped the process, she certainly wouldn’t be her old self again and the drastic treatment could affect other organs too and counselled euthanasia. (Lucky anima,s, humans don’t get that privilege and have to go on suffering as euthanasia is conting to be debated.) We agreed against our wishes and Jimmy was put to sleep this morning.

Many people were surprised to know that Jimmy is a female. Yes her earlier owners who acquired her as a 15-day old pup (Yes she was separated from her mother within two weeks of birth) had no clue about her gender and blindly gave her a male name

They say people choose their dogs but in Jimmy’s cas it was just the oppositr. She chose ues as her family. Her original owners were living in our apartment block and their kids were my daughter’s friends. She used to accompany them to our home and soon developed such a fondness for us that when it was time to leave for home she used to stage a dharna and it was a Himalayan task to send her home.

Saturdays and Sundays she knew we would be home and on hwr mown she would open the door of her flat (It was a sliding door and her quick mind learnt in a jiffy how to open it.) and rush out . And at about 10 in the morning we would hear a scratching on our grille. It was Jimmy’s way of demanding that we open the door.

When the owners came to collect her the line “Chalen Jimmy?” (Shall we go Jimmy?) was a cue for her to lie down and close her eyes pretending to be asleep. When he left on a vacation, on our return her owners used to tell us everyday Jimmy would sprawl before our door and would make mournful noises.

When we shifted to my wife’s government quarters, t her owners realized that she wouldn’t be able to live without us and gave her to us as a parting gift. Afd Jimmy took to the new surroundings like fish to water, making herself at home.

She was huge for a lab, weighing over 50 kg and doctors warned us when we took her for shots that if she doesn’t become slimmer, she would develop serious health problems as she got older. But making jimmy lose weight was easier said than done. She was a foodie and hated exercise. She preferred human goodies to dog food., her favourites being croissants, pastries and fried foods, besides a mad love for ice creams.

Whenever I used to go to buy milk in the evening on my return she used to follow me to the fri9dge taking it dopr granted that buying milk meant buying ice cream. So I had to switch the time of milk buying to early morning when she was asleep.

She also had a temporary love affair with coffee. Aftr buying milk I used to go to the living room and there she would be on the sofa wagging her tailo. Unless I gave her a biscuit dipped in coffee or poured some coffee into her bowl, she wouldn’t let me enjoy my coffee in peace.

So making Jimmy lose weight meant that she is kept away from her favourite treats and initially it was a buit difficult but gradually we reduced her junk food habits if not completely weaned her away from the tasty treats. And succeeded in reducing her weight by nearly 15 kilos.

Some yearas after that she enjoyed good health despite her aversion for exercise. She had to be virtually dragged for a walk after she relieved herself on the road. Taking Jimmy for a walk was like lifting eights and playing chess at the same time. It strained both mind and body. Her brilliant mind thought up a new stratagem every day either to cut short the walk or totally avoid it.

And Jimmy had convinced herself that she was the Alfa female in our pack. She decided a lot of things including when the AC should be switched on and off , who should get down from the car to go and buy vegetables and groceries and what not.

But when she was 11 arthritis set in. May be that was the beginning of her end. That led to a halt to her walks. And total lack of exercise and a laidback lifestyle (Literally laidback. She lay back on her favourite mattress and threw tantrums if thr AC was switched off. s,tarted taking ita toll. The great foodie slowly started losing interest in food but guzzled water even which she gave up in the last three days..

RIP Jimmy we would always miss you and the welcome bark and the reception you gave us on our return from work everyday giving the impression that we are meeting after ages. And you taught us many things, mainly how to maintain calm, (How can anyone forger the reassuring pat you gave on our thighs with your front paw when you thought we were fighting?).

You had your flaws of course. You were class conscious (barking at sloppily dressed or beggarly looking people) a snob (Excuse me, do stray dogs exist?) but they pale into nothingness before your great qualities. Sleep well my friend.
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Reading Through your heart wrenching teary write up, I am sure one must have gone through variety of emotions as I have. While sharing your grief for loss of your beloved Jimmy Balajee , I am reminded of
Elevated status the quadruped enjoy in the hindu pantheon like Lord BHAIRAVA.
2. It depicts how quadruped are close to humans in their understanding and adapting to human behaviour as exemplified in tamed ones in the likes oh Jimmy, Cheenu, Kitty, Browny et al.
3. I am reminded of my Late friend JK whose narrow escape from exposure to Bhopal Mic gas leakage and the role of Street bhairavas and Pomeranians in saving his life which I attempted writing in the The anecdote “PADMA POMERANIANS &Bhopal Gas Leak” posted 3,Dec, 2017 refers of the gas leak of 2/3, dec1984.
4. Labrador reminds me of immense help that they offer at times of calamity and to police.
that dogs of special breeds are so trained to give the police a lead or two in tracing the culprit. The Labs with them are search and rescue type. Labrador and Doberman- both used to locate thieves or find missing articles or objects. Bloodhounds are also often used for this task. They have the ability to smell and remember and track the places or spots continuously till they succeed in reaching the source or abandon their effort once they are confused with smells when diluted with something else. Trained ones can locate, even if the source is caught buried under the debris of say quake affected areas such as buildings, bridges or settled underneath water. One recalls the hero of 26/11 terror attack- a Labrador -the Prince of Mumbai Police’s squad, helped to locate four live bombs and 17 hand grenades during the siege of Taj Mahal hotel and its assistance during investigation of Mumbai train blasts in the year 2006.

5.They are treated as officers and enjoy special food; and if they happen to die during their induction or the period to assist police, they will be accorded full honours and respect in the same manner as any police officer die on duty would command.
6.. Your post on loss of Jimmy-Balajee reminds me of Hachiko - statute in Tokyo -Japan.
He came to Shibuya railway Station everyday to receive his master, a professor, returning from work. After the professor died in 1925, Hachikō continued to come to the station daily for ten long years. The story became legend and a statue for the Hachiko erected in memory opposite Shibuya railway Station. The surrounding plaza is Tokyo’s most popular rendezvous point and is always abuzz.
7. Yes Balajee - Your write up I read repeatedly and every time it moved me to tears.
RIP JIMMY et al.

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