One Day I was Found, and Just Like That I had a Home!

Last year has been quite eventful. We've moved to Mumbai and adopted a dog. My husband was given the responsibility of naming him...so now we have a dog named Rummy! No one gets it at the first go - people always ask to repeat or spell his name. But the point is that the dog answers to that name and so we're happy.

Here he is on his first day home (pre-wash). He had been abandoned and the kids in our complex found him roaming about in the garden. For a month we resisted getting him home, since both my husband and I were working outside of home. Moreover, My husband didn't want to "cut off his wings" like his were on the day we got married. But Feb 6th we went looking for him, found him sleeping under a car, got him in the car and took him to the vet. He checked out OK and this is him now:

Initially, he would get very upset when he was left alone at home and would tear up anything he could find...shoes, slippers, cushion covers, paper, books, tissues, table mats, etc. We just had to learn to keep everything in its place...shoes in the rack, papers in the store, everything else out of reach.

As soon as we left, he'd take his leash to his mat and wait for us to return! He still doesn't like it when he's left home alone (which dog does?), but he copes better with it now. I have also started to work from home, so now he doesn't get up to much mischief.

He sleeps most of the day, chases flies and feathers, stalks pigeons that wander into our balcony, and barks at the vacuum cleaner. He is very possessive about his house. He does not allow the maid to touch any item, and has to be locked in a room when she's cleaning. He is quite popular with the kids in the building since they used to play with him earlier. And like a proper celebrity he ignores them completely now that he has left the streets.

We also got a trainer who would train us on how to train him. He wanted us to hit Rummy... hard...if he didn't obey. Tried it for two sessions and then stopped. The poor dog didn't know what hit him during those sessions...literally! He now understands Sit, Down, and Stay, but he's very selective on when he wants to obey.

He is due for a neutering appointment any time now (much against my husband's wishes). Till then, we endure his repeated territory markings, and sulking over a bitch in heat.