An Ode to Tyson...

Where do I begin..I don't know. But I can't let this moment pass and I want to express all that I can.

Tyson was our family dog, our pet since the last 12 years. And today, he is no more.

12 years...It was just a few years after Mike Tyson had bitten off the ear of Evander Holyfield. And we could'nt help naming our new dog...Tyson!

It also reminds me of the time when I had just entered college. And when I would come home from college and step into our compound, this little ball of fur would come rolling towards me! He was always around playing, chewing and keeping watch. Playful yet alert. Lovable but also aggressive. A perfect pet.

He was so cool, that we could actually feed it with a spoon and even if I took away its bowl playfully while it was eating, it would just howl, make a face and snuggle because it wanted more! I mean...there aren't too many dogs out there you can do that with!

As it grew older, he became so much more fun to be with. The golden years of his life were I guess between the ages of 3 and 8. He was especially frisky when there were a lot of people around him. It was as though he enjoyed all the commotion and attention. He would find some empty space between us all and roll on the ground, all happy and gay!! Damn, we are going to miss him...

Diwali days were his worst though. The noise would practically make him all uneasy and tried to find peace within the house. He would scratch up the door to let him in and then when we did, dash to his corner and lie low, like he was going to be attacked anytime! It was a very funny scene, though at his expense! I remember one particular Diwali night when he was in the house. We thought of keeping him there all night as he was whining away because of all the noise. A few minutes after I had gone to bed, I felt a cold snout poking into my arm. I was at wit's end and so freaking startled! And there he was, cowering and wagging his tail! That was it for me though, he was shoved out of the room the next instant..!

There were so many other incidents too. Like how anyone who had been away from home for a few days, would be greeted most warmly by Tyson jumping all over him/her with gleaming eyes and a dripping tongue..! Or how he would be scratching his chin by sitting next to the gate, so as to make the gate-stopper go cling and clang, at the dead of night!

In his last couple of years, the aging had become more prominent and we could see him becoming tired easily and not as playful as he used to be. But you could say he maintained a quiet demeanor, almost zen like.. Sometimes I wondered, when I came back from office. He was almost like in peace..quiet. Remember, 1 year of its life is equivalent to 7 years of our's. Which makes him the eldest in the family at the age of 84!

There are so many things that I can write about Tyson, so many..12 years is indeed a long time, come to think of it. And its only in some such times you think about it...

So here is to Tyson, wherever you are,
Keep those lick's coming, and don't be too far,
Diwali night's won't trouble you anymore,
But we will miss you, that's for sure...


R.I.P