True stories - Man's best friend

True stories - Man's best friend

I was stressed. Work related tension and being alone at home. Husband had gone to visit his sister and I couldn’t get leave. It was a cold and snowy January night and I was stuck with Max - our Rescue dog. I decided to go out, although it was sub-zero and it was 10pm.

I took Max by the leash and walked a block. I was about to turn into an alley when Max indicated he wanted to go the other way. I obliged, and turned and slipped on the ice and fell heavily. I first thought I was dead. When I realized that I wasn’t, I thought nothing happened. When I tried to get up, a sudden shooting pain went up my shoulder and I realised painfully that I had broken my upper arm. Panic took over me for one second as I realised I won’t be able to get up in the slippery ice without my arm. But after a few seconds, logic took over. I reached for my pocket and found, to my luck, that my phone wasn’t damaged. I called my best friend, who lived a couple of miles away and told her an approximate location. She said she would reach ASAP. I cut the call and waited.

I was terribly cold and started to shiver. Max was free, the leash long gone, but he didn’t run away. Instead, he tried to push me up with his head below my chest. He was unsuccessful and then he came near me. He saw me shivering terribly and hardly able to speak. He might have realised that I needed some warming up, so he climbed over me and lay on my chest, his head below my chin. All the warmth he could give me. When he heard my friend’s car approaching, he stood up and barked. They found me and took me to the nearby hospital. My friend told me later that she wouldn’t have spotted me lying between two large heaps of snow and probably would’ve driven round and round in the falling snow, if Max hadn’t barked and indicated where we lay. The doctor said that the cold did more damage to me than the fracture and I would’ve been in a serious condition if i wasn’t kept warm and brought to the hospital on time.

Max was a rescue dog. He was in his shelter for abused dogs from where we found him. He was ill-treated by us humans before my husband and I decided to adopt him. Max chose to forgive and love and trust humans because of the love we gave him. All dogs will love you with everything they have, if you give them part of your affection. It doesn’t care whether you are rich or poor, dumb or smart, handsome or ugly, white or black, Hindu or Muslim, male or female, gay or straight - all the labels that we designed to segregate and judge ourselves. All it cares about is whether you love it or not. And it will love you back. Much more than anybody has ever loved you. Believe me when I say this. There is always more room for living beings to love. Adopt an animal, save your soul, be loved and rescue yourselves.

Happy Friendships day