Dogs

Ever since I can remember, I have been crazy about dogs. I have always wanted one. I don’t know how many times I asked my parents to get me one but I was always told that we are true dog lovers. We cannot do injustice to one by bringing one home and risk not being able to care for them. I never understood that logic as a child and till date, I still can’t say I really do.

In this day and age, there is little that I can add about the greatness of dogs. We have domesticated them for years and for years we have studied them. They bring us joy, comfort and even safety. They protect us as police K9, they give us care as service dogs and are particularly good with children who suffer from Autism. As if that wasn’t enough, they can even detect future illnesses in humans. There are countless stories out there that talk about how they alerted their humans to tumours and other illnesses early  on so that they could be treated before they turned fatal.

Since as a kid, I could never have a dog of my own, I watched others’ dogs. I watched movies about dogs. I dreamt of the day I would have one of my own. I would picture my future dog to be like Shadow from Homeward Bound or like Hachi from Hachiko or like Maya from Eight Below. I am not ashamed to admit that even now when I watch Hachiko or Eight below, I can’t stop tears from pouring out of my eyes. These three movies have always been my go to when I need some cheering up and some warm fuzzy love. Though I enjoy a rom-com here and there, nothing beats these three movies from way back. Until about now. Recently, I watched White Fang on Netflix. Though it is a remake of another movie from earlier that I am yet to watch, it touched me very deeply. So much so, that I put it right up there with my unbeatable top three which would mean I have my top 4!

And today, I got my 5th!

Disney released its new movie Togo yesterday on Disney+. I had no idea this was coming and just happened to catch it in the middle of my Star Wars Marathon this weekend to prepare for the last one, Rise of Skywalker. I took a chance and decided to take a break from Star Wars and watch Togo. I am beyond glad that I did. This movie deserves special accolades for bringing into attention the contribution of Togo in the 1925 serum run in Alaska. For ignorants like me, this was eye opening. I had heard of and watched Balto many many times before. And I particularly loved it and its sequels. But today, I was educated about Togo’s contribution to the real life historic event.

I can’t imagine the plight of Seppala when the media covered Balto and forgot Togo. I did read that the mushers of Alaska revere Togo but it shouldn’t just be them. The whole world should know and celebrate Togo. Watching the movie, I couldn’t help but gasp at every turn, even though I knew the ending of that journey. I laughed looking at his puppy histrionics. I cried for him while he was recovering after that heroic run. I smiled when he was playing with his pups. I went through pretty much all possible emotions in the span of a movie. In the process, I formed my top 5.

There are so many articles out there that say we, as humans, don’t deserve them. I agree. We absolutely don’t. They are too good for us. They have never known malice and will never bow down to the pettiness that drives human lives. They stand tall and unwavering from their paths no matter what we put them through. We have much to learn from them. We will forever be in their debt. I wish more humans realised that.

Personally, I am pretty much devoted to my Whisky and my Luca. My whole world revolves around them and I pretty much live for them. They drive me nuts sometimes and there are times when out of frustration I’ve yelled at them or ignored them. But I am constantly living in fear of losing them. They mean too much to me and I can never explain the depth of that feeling to any other human being. But as William Dafoe narrated at the end of the movie, if you are around them long enough, they tend to get under your skin. And if you are lucky enough to have known a great one, they never really leave. They stay with you as long as you live, harnessed to your heart, giving their all, always.

Feature image – Togo and Leonhard Seppala (credit – Time magazine)