Unconditional Love

From the days of my grandmother there always was a dog in the household. I'd say household rather than family because the dog was entrusted with the duty of guarding the fenced property from trespassers and petty thieves who would but steal more than a few coconuts or other vegetation. Thus, a dog more than being man’s best friend, was the eternal security guard.
Kaiser, who had no pedigree to claim, fit the bill aptly. When Kaiser was on duty no sane man dared trespass the property and Kaiser was on duty 24/7. Kaiser’s reputation of terror was widespread. And after almost 15years of dedicated service Kaiser succumbed to age.
Kaiser’s position was filled by a dachshund pup and grandmother (of course!) named her
Jikki. I wonder whether grandmother had any clue as to what type of dog a dash was. Jikki grew soon, longer rather than taller. But her compassionate eyes, the shiny black coat and the cuteness of her moving on is tiny legs made her a darling. And as she grew in to the present, she has not the least attitude of terror in her and I bet she never has any intention of being one either. Now that’s not what my grandmother wanted but nonetheless, she soon became the darling of the family as well of the neighborhood.

I understood what unconditional love means from Jikki. When we settled down in Kerala the responsibility of taking care of her was entrusted to us. She waits till dad opens her kennel to let her out in the morning to attend to nature’s call, she never barks even if dad is late, she just waits. Then mom gives her a bath and like a good dog that she is, she sits through the scrubbing session, lifting her paws wherever necessary, and does everything at beck and call. After the drying session, she quietly is back in her kennel and waits for food, after which she takes a siesta. Around 6 in the evening, she would rivet her gaze towards the gate waiting in anticipation for dad to arrive from work. Once she sees him she is on all fours to be lifted in his arms, cuddled, has her share of biscuit and it is play time. She eats everything from rice to dosa to idli to veggies, her favorite being halwa and payasam. Dad calls her mollu which in Malayalam means daughter.
When I came home with my two month old daughter, after a long gap of 4 years Jikki recognized me instantly and was very excited. . She would keep her distance from the baby and wouldn’t allow any stranger to come near as well. If any one dared then they would see an aggressive and fierce Jikki.
Jikki doesn’t eat food unless given by dad or mom. Once they were away for 2 days and left her at my cousin’s place. She was aware of the fact that she was left behind and started crying. She didn’t touch a drop of water till they came back. Dad had to take her in the lap and feed her.
Today she is a darling to all though she growls and barks at strangers. I know I would never find another dog like Jikki and I feel lucky to have her in our lives. Her love is unconditional, without any boundaries or expectations.
This is to you our darling Jikki.