I did befriend a dog eventually. During my rural tenure, my elder son, who wasn’t even two years old at the time, didn’t have any company to play with. So, we decided to get him a pup. One of the villagers, hearing about this, brought us a recently born puppy. He was black in color and incredibly cute. My son and wife instantly took a liking to him, and so we decided to keep him. Having been born in the village, this little guy was very well-behaved, though mischievous at times.

And how did I name him? Guess! Remember that girl whose dog tried to have a bite of me? Yes, I named this dog "Bullet" too. He was with us for only a couple of years. After we returned to Chennai and had our second son, my mother felt it would be difficult to take care of the dog along with the new baby. So, we had to give Bullet to a friend. But to this day, we remember him for his cute looks, good behavior, and obedience.

After our return to Chennai from my posting in central India, my sons always showed a keen desire to have a dog. At that time, there were plenty of street dogs around. One particular dog became friendly with us. In typical fashion, stray dogs were usually named after their color—Whitey, Blackie, Brownie, and so on. Naturally, there were multiple dogs with the same name in every locality. With such a large population of roaming dogs, what else could we do?

One of those "Brownies" became a good friend of our family. Whenever my sons went out, he would follow them. My younger son, especially, took it upon himself to feed not only Brownie but also the Whiteys and Blackies, much to the detriment of my purse! This Brownie became so loyal that, whenever our entire family went out, he would come inside our compound and keep watch until we returned.

We really liked this dog. He wasn’t aggressive—just friendly and faithful. My wife fed him every day, in addition to the treats my sons would bring him.

So, with this dog having taken it upon himself to be our self-appointed watchman and protector, how would he feel if we were to bring in another dog?

Continued in 161. Dogged Faith - Part 3