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Fond Memories of Tommy
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Coming to today’s post, it is in loving memory of Tommy 1 and Tommy 2 😀 😀
So WHO is Tommy? 😀
Hint: In the below photograph, can you see a wide-eyed, cute, smiling face gleefully sniffing the green plant?
A DOG 😀
This picture was taken from the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits Earth at an average altitude of 420 kilometres above Earth.
Who even knew that Egypt’s fertile Nile Valley looked like a green plant and a part of its land like a dog’s nose! That the Dead Sea had a wide-eyed look from space… that the Gulf of Aqaba resembled a mouth…that Saudi Arabia’s Royal Natural Reserve appeared to be somewhat like an ear! :D:D:D
The cute image inspired me to take a photo of Tommy 1 fast asleep with a green leaf placed next to his nose…
I posted this video on 18 February, 2022…
Going to do a stories thread on 6 month old Tommy🐕 sometime later😍 He understands and communicates with me so innocently that I feel as though he’s a human😂 And he listens and follows my orders😂 Methinks his breed is that of an excellent guard dog and scent tracker🐶 pic.twitter.com/VdFhY2lBc7
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) February 18, 2022
I met 6-month-old Tommy on 14 February, 2022, at a sprawling and picturesquely located hill-top farm house in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Captivated by his beautiful, expressive eyes, I immediately started playing and baby-talking with him.
Tommy was looked after by one of the farm workers so he would come and go with them.
On my first night, he forgot to leave with them. That was unfortunate because wild animals often wandered around on the hill top after dusk. So it was just the farm house, the cattle shed and the open sky above for poor Tommy.
That night, I saw sadness and desperation in a dog for the first time. Whining softly, he kept looking in the direction of the way home. His dog sense had not developed enough for him to venture out and track the route in pitch darkness.
Since he was not allowed entry inside the house, he had to stay put outside at the doorstep. It was very cold so I placed a doormat for him to sleep. Sensing his fear and discomfort, I would check upon him from time to time… to see whether he was alive and fine. And I prayed for wolves or leopards to stay away from him!
After that night, I would remind the workers to take him along every evening. He would stay back at the house during lunch time though.
Every day, I would get up early in the morning to see the sunrise. On the third day, on my early morning walk, I saw an excited Tommy running towards me. As usual, I started talking with him. He turned his head in the direction from where he had come. That was his way of saying that he had come alone from home. He looked overjoyed. After that day, he would come and leave on his own.
Once Tommy’s keeper chained him at home. But Tommy escaped somehow, and came running with the chain entangled around his neck, almost strangling him. He stood still as I gently removed the chain off his neck. His skin felt so soft and warm. I told his keeper not to chain him again.
The chain…
Tommy was unable to bark, he could only make faint noises. But with his newfound confidence, he grew up overnight. I used to give him biscuits, toast, rice with milk and cashew fruits.
One day, I was carrying a plate of chopped cashew fruit for my father in the courtyard. Tommy was lounging nearby and quickly got up when I placed the plate on the table. Dad shooed him away…and Tommy barked loudly at Dad! Shocked, I shouted at Tommy. It felt as though I was yelling at a human.
Tommy quietly went to sit where I pointed. Maybe he was saying something to Dad, that he was hungry too. So I got him 2-3 cashew fruits which he quickly gobbled down.
Tommy was playful with the cows too. He would bark at them if they neared his cashew fruits. Cows love cashew fruits too. Both Tommy and the cows would eat only good cashew fruits, not the disposed ones. When the cows chased him, he would run for his life.
Tommy was caring too. Once a farm girl brought a newly-born pup from some place. The pup struggled in her hands and bit her. Scared, she dropped the pup on the ground. Tommy immediately rushed towards him to check if he was fine. The girl slapped Tommy and pushed him away. Of course, I gently admonished her.
Tommy with the pup…
Everything was going fine until one day when the farm workers threw away a few poisoned rats in a small, open pit. Tommy was around, watching them.
The next day, Dad saw him sitting under a distant tree playing with something in his mouth. Tommy is a rat-eater, he said.
When I asked Tommy if he was eating rats, he looked at me innocently. I was not ready to accept that he would eat rats considering the healthy food I was giving him, twice a day.
Next day, I was walking past the tree and saw him playing with something. He saw me approaching and quickly tried to hide the thing in the ground but I had already seen the baby rat. Enraged, I told him I was never going to speak with him. And I called him a rat-eater!
Earlier, Dad had said that on eating a rat, the body heats up quickly. Hence dogs drink plenty of water almost immediately. And Tommy did come running to drink water. The big tumbler filled with water was almost empty in a minute. It seemed odd to me although it was a hot afternoon. Thereafter, I told my sister to give him food. I ignored him for a day or two.
When I called out to him sternly, he looked away. But I saw him looking at me from the corner of his eye. I raised my voice to make it sterner and he looked straight in my eyes. Though I had stopped mollycoddling him, I resumed giving him food.
One day, I gave him 5-6 pieces of the cake that I had made and he ate it hungrily. That evening, when he was returning home with the workers, I called out to him and he stopped and turned back. But then, I told him to go, so he went away.
Another day, when I gave him a toast, a stray dog came over running. It was an old female dog, who had followed me uphill when I had gone for a walk. Later on, she brought two more dogs and introduced them to Tommy. Not wanting to encourage stray dogs on the farm, I didn’t offer her toast, but I did give her water because she looked thirsty. Tommy had his toast a bit guiltily, watchful of the other dog’s eyes on him. All the while, I wondered if she had introduced Tommy to rat meat. She looked old so it did not hurt her, but Tommy was just six months old.
On the day of my departure, Tommy was not around when I was loading the luggage into the car. When the car was about to leave, I saw him and called him over. He looked sad while nearing and stood at a distance. Then, Dad opened the car door for him. His expression changed at once. He looked delighted. Wagging his tail excitedly, he ran over to the door and looked at me. I said goodbye and waved at him. That was it. The last time I saw him.
My sister returned five or six times and saw more of him. She would send photos and videos of him. He looked unwell and his shine had faded. His ear flaps had been cut off for health reasons. In August, he started working as a sheep dog for a shepherd family so my sister didn’t see him around.
In September, almost seven months after I had last seen Tommy, when my sister went there, I enquired about him. The farm workers told her that Tommy had died a month ago following cough problems.
I was aghast when I heard the news. Perhaps eating poisoned rats had led to such an early death.
RIP Tommy 1
I met Tommy 2 at the same farm house on 22 May, 2023. It was eight months after receiving the news of Tommy 1‘s death.
Tommy 2…
Good morning 🐶😍 pic.twitter.com/C9zWW4lXSj
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 22, 2023
Tommy 2 was barely two months old when I met him. He was from a litter of five pups.
The pups two months ago with their mom 🐶🐕😍😍 pic.twitter.com/5eyyYJU0L5
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 22, 2023
Tommy 2 with his mom, Doggie…
Just a few weeks after their birth, the litter was attacked by a leopard. Tommy 2 escaped, but his four siblings were not so lucky. The tiny pups were gobbled up by the leopard.
I often saw Doggie teaching Tommy to fight and defend himself.
Mom teaching him how to fight & defend himself from leopards & other wild animals 😍😂 pic.twitter.com/fMQNL2Wqg3
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 23, 2023
The duo reminded me of Inspector Clouseau and his manservant Cato from the Pink Panther series.
They remind me of Inspector Clouseau & Cato, the manservant from Pink Panther series😂😂 pic.twitter.com/382OwrKfit
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 23, 2023
And yet, Tommy was like a spoilt brat excessively pampered by his mother. Usually doggie moms bark at their kids when disturbed but Doggie never minded Tommy’s bad behaviour.
One time, I saw him sucking and then pushing her tummy with his foot while she was asleep. He went on doing this for 5-10 minutes. Doggie was fast asleep.
Whenever I offered her biscuits or toast Tommy would rush to have it… and even pull it out of her mouth. Even after I had given him food and it was Doggie’s turn. He would immediately drop his food and run over to have hers. She meekly let him have it. When he wasn’t around, she would look around to see if he was coming. It was as though she expected such behaviour from him.
When I saw him licking water droplets off the ground, I poured water in their dish which was close to Doggie. She had some and then turned to look in his direction. He was next to her in an instant.
Daily antics of 2 month Tommy & his mom Doggie😍🐶🐕😂😂 pic.twitter.com/6XvwvwobLT
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 26, 2023
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 26, 2023
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 31, 2023
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 31, 2023
By afternoon, Tommy’s greedy attitude had angered me so much that I decided not to call him Tommy anymore. I had named him so because of my fond memories of Tommy 1.
Nevertheless, Tommy was the cutest and smartest puppy that I have ever seen. He would jump down three stairs at time and jump up high to catch things. He would run the fastest, deftly snatch stuff from his mom’s mouth despite her best efforts to hang on to it tightly and… after snatching it, he would fight off all her efforts to recover it. For example, this bone in the video that I posted:
But he’s still the cutest & smartest 2 month 🐶 I’ve ever seen❤️ He jumps dwn 3 stairs,jumps up high to catch things,runs the fastest,deftly snatches stuff from his mom’s mouth despite her best efforts to not let him & wen he snatches he doesn’t let her take it back eg. this bone pic.twitter.com/WCej3BbUiP
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 22, 2023
No wonder he managed to save himself from the leopard. I quickly changed my mind and decided that his name would remain as Tommy.
Tommy also demonstrated a possessive nature. When he saw two stray dogs hanging around with Doggie, he went and sat in a corner with a sullen face. He stared at them for a while and then started barking loudly… this from a tiny pup who had not even completed two months! In comparison, Tommy 1 could not bark even at six months until I met him. A little later, Doggie went and sat next to him. They started playing and he was happy again.
Both Tommy and Doggie would bark at the cows if they ventured near their food. The cows would chase Doggie at times, just like they would do with Tommy 1.
On the second day, as usual, Tommy was his greedy self. I had not seen Doggie bark at Tommy. But I saw Tommy barking at Doggie when she came for the biscuits… which he had snatched from her mouth! I picked the biscuit that I had given him, the same one that he had dropped on seeing me give another to Doggie, and placed it before her. He immediately dropped the one he had in mouth and rushed to have his biscuit from Doggie. I scolded him and sternly ordered him to move back. Doggie happily had the biscuit.
Later, I called out to Doggie sweetly and then looked at Tommy, who gave me a sulky look. So I started showering my attention on Doggie, hoping that he would get over his bossy attitude.
He’s sad now 😂 pic.twitter.com/U1qfSwMfr9
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 23, 2023
He had such lovely eyes and such a cute face that I could not bear to see him sad. I pampered him a bit and he was happy again.
So cute😍❤️🐶 pic.twitter.com/3wzo696llq
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 23, 2023
He would bark loudly on sensing the presence of stray dogs without even seeing them. He was so very smart.
Now he’s happy after a bit of my pampering 😍😂 He was barking at outsider dogs… and he’s still a 2 month pup🐶 So he got a special treat from me😂 pic.twitter.com/UxYHGDtCs4
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 23, 2023
That night, Doggie was very upset with Tommy. He had a bit of his food and looked at her. She was sleeping. He tried waking her up with both his feet. It was such a cute scene just like we use our hands to rouse someone from sleep. Still miffed, Doggie moved her feet away and refused to get up 😀 😀 Sometime later, I saw Tommy wrapping his arms around her neck and Doggie turning her head and pushing him away 😀 😀
On the fourth day, I had gone for my usual sunset walk across the farm. On the way back, I heard the faint barking of Tommy and Doggie. The two had accompanied me on my walk.
When I turned around, I saw a white-grey jackal chasing the two. The sight of tiny Tommy running with the wild animal close on his heels made me think that the animal would pounce on poor Tommy and eat him. And I couldn’t bear to watch that happen. Not thinking clearly, I took a short cut descending through mango trees. Unfortunately, I was wearing flip-flops. While rushing past the trees, I slipped and fell on soft ground. I reached the house and quickly went inside to clean and treat the wound. When I came out, pain was instantly replaced by joy on seeing both Tommy and Doggie safe and sound. I didn’t know what had happened but I was extremely delighted to see Tommy alive.
The next day, I gave Tommy a nice bath with the help of a farm worker, who held Tommy firmly in her hands so that he could not escape. It was my first time at bathing a dog so I gave him a gentle rubbing with liquid soap. Just a minute of light cleaning of his forehead, back and belly. Then, I handed the task to the worker, who being an expert, gave him a vigorous rubbing and did a thorough cleaning job. Satisfied, I tipped her a handsome amount. From a distance, Doggie kept a close watch on the proceedings.
Gave him a bath😍🐶 pic.twitter.com/MKhrY9EZ0g
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 26, 2023
Poor Tommy, he was shivering after the bath.
He’s shivering coz of cold water😍😂 pic.twitter.com/IDBzDGsOIS
— Swarupa (@swarupa007) May 26, 2023
Being a hot summer day, the tap water was warm, but most probably, Tommy had never had a bath before. There was no sound, bark or resistance from him. His eyes were closed throughout the time. So clearly, he was enjoying the spa treatment.
He was quiet throughout the day. Doggie would sniff his scented skin from time to time. In the evening, to my irritation, she dragged him into the red soil, where they played on and on. When I saw him later, he was his usual playful self and no longer fresh-smelling.
The day before my departure, I had made prawn rice. I saw Doggie growl at Tommy for the first time when he came to have it. She let him join her a little later. Usually, he would growl at her if she tried to have food before he did.
It was obvious that they both loved my prawn rice. They hungrily finished it to the last grain, wiping the dish clean. I served it to them the next day too. They licked the plate empty again 😀 😀
On my last day at the farm, while leaving, both Tommy and Doggie were nowhere to be seen. Tommy was in the veranda half an hour before leaving, but later, he too disappeared.
The next time my sister visited the farm, she enquired about Tommy and learnt that he was eaten by a leopard shortly after we left. I was devastated by the news.
Doggie fell into depression after the loss of Tommy. My sister said that she was no longer the same as before.
I last saw Tommy 2 on the 30th of May. He disappeared on the 3rd of June.
Tommy 2 was the cutest and the smartest dog in the world… and he was just two months old!
RIP Tommy 2
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