My Date With Stanley

The shop is located in a busy street spread over nearly 250 feet. Very large, for a pet shop, I thought. I stood a few feet away on the other side of the road and waited for the doors to be opened; I was early.

Finally, the shop door opened and I slowly moved towards and entered; I was in for a shock! A pet shop, I reasoned would have few dogs and cats; but the scene that awaited me looked like a mini jungle! There were the usual cats and dogs of course, but there were all kinds of colorful and chirping birds and few other birds of exotic variety as well.

I could not locate the shop owner and threaded my way, carefully. Finally, I stood in the middle and called out for the owner; “Sir? Are you there?

Slowly, ever so slowly, a burly man with a large mustache and equally large and bushy eyebrows, rose from the middle of cages and boxes, like a phoenix!

His eyebrows went up slowly too and with a booming voice to match his large moustache and body, the shop owner looked at me and said “Yes? What can I do for you?”

“Sir, I...” I mumbled……” need a dog”

The burly man guffawed and said “Oh yes. You are in the right place. What kind of dog you need?”

He came closer and examined me from head to toe as if to evaluate whether I am worthy of buying a dog!

“Sir, my knowledge of dogs is very poor. I don’t know what type but I want to hire a dog for a few days.” I managed to mumble.

The shop owner must have heard only the first part. He took my elbow and lead me while talking with all the enthusiasm in the world.

“Don’t worry. You are with an expert and I have a wide variety of dogs. I have a Doberman, a German Sheppard, A Chinese Crested Dog, Labrador, Rottweiler Italian Greyhound, Pomeranian…” he went on and on and on. I have to virtually, pull my hand and distance myself before I could speak.

“Sir, I don’t think you heard me right. I don’t want to buy a dog. I just need to hire one for a week that’s all. I don’t care about which country or brand of dog.”

The burly man suddenly stopped in his track and turned towards me, again, ever so slowly. I could not understand why he did everything so slow; was it because of his girth or his habit, I could not decide.

“What? You want to hire?” The booming voice came towards me floating in the air.

“I mean, I want to borrow a dog for a week or so that’s all. I will pay the rent and return the dog once I finish my work”. I said in an equally slow-motion voice.

 “Sorry? You want to do what? Hire, a Dog?” Why would anyone want to hire a dog?” quizzed the shop owner.

I mustered more courage and said, “That’s right. I want a dog temporarily and will definitely return it within a week’s time. You can lend me any type of dog you like as long it is a good dog which listens to me at least, temporarily.” 

The shop owner’s thick eyebrows again went up; he forcibly pulled his eyebrows from his fingers and restored normalcy; more than him, I heaved a sigh of relief.   

Finally, he said, this time with an annoying voice, “Sorry, we don’t, as a matter of principle, give dogs or any other pets on hire. But why in God’s name you want to hire a dog anyway?” 

I tried avoiding his piercing looks and said in a halting voice, “You see, I desperately want to hire but don’t want to own a dog permanently. Price is not a problem.” 

The minute I spoke about money, the shop owner brought his tongue out and licked his lips, just like the dogs he is breeding, before speaking. “Oh, now I understand why you want to hire a dog.” The burly man went on. “Your daughter. I am sure it is a daughter, has lost her pet. I know how difficult it is to console your loved ones, especially daughters. Poor girl. She must not have eaten too. When did the dog die?” He did not wait for my answer. “You see, I too have a little daughter and my god, I could not tolerate her crying when my Stanley was sick. She lost 5 kilos in a week. You are saying that your dog actually died. I am so sorry.”

I almost lost my patience and spoke in my normal speed but increased pitch. “Sir I do have a loving daughter but no, we never had a dog in our house. As a matter of fact, I hate dogs.” I bit my tongue when I said the last few words sensing danger.

“You what? Hate dogs? Then what the hell are you doing in my pet shop?” This time the sentences came out flying like piercing arrows.

“Sir, please don’t mistake me. In fact, I was on the receiving end of a dog bite when I was young and took 14 injections to my stomach to get cured. What was more painful was that the dog was our own. After that incident, I not only stopped having a dog or any other pets but started hating all those who have one. But I desperately need one for a few days. Will you lend me one? Price does not matter to me.” I said while removing my bulging wallet from my pant pocket.

The man saw the wallet and again whetting his lips softened his voice and spoke.

“Oh. I am sorry Sir. Now I know who you are and why you want to hire and not buy a dog. You see, I am very good at reading people. You are a producer or an assistant director of movies or something! You want a dog for shooting!” The burly man again came close and held my elbow so tight I cried in pain, silently. The pet shop owner, however, continued.

“Let me tell you, you have come to the best pet shop in the city! I have lent dogs of all sizes and hues to many a top movie producer, and boy can they act! The directors have gone mad just looking at my dog’s performance that some of them contemplated replacing their heroes with my dogs!” He guffawed showing his tobacco-stained teeth.

I almost lost my cool and was about to shout but somehow controlled my anger and spoke in a pleasant but sarcastic voice, “Sir, I am sure you have wonderful dogs worthy of casting in movies in place of Heroes; but I am not from the movie world. I am a simple and honest law-abiding citizen who has a problem that only a dog can solve at least for a week, that’s all.”

The pet shop owner’s eyes brightened and once again; he licked his lips with his tongue and in a voice which I had never heard before said. “I am extremely sorry sir. You are a very important customer. I practice what Gandhiji said about customers, you see. You are not a disturbance in my work, but you are the purpose why I am sitting here. Now tell me sir, which dog you want. You can take a dog of your choice. Come I will show you.” The shop owner held my hand again and forcibly led me inside where there were dozens of dogs eating their morning breakfast.

After going around his shop for more than fifteen minutes, the pet shop owner finally came out and stood in front of a dog which was sleeping. He took the leash and shook it to wake up the dog. He handed over the leash to me and said in a proud voice. “Sir, this is the best dog I have. Here is Stanley! He is my own dog! He is not for sale actually, but since you are saying that you want it only for one week, I am ready to let him go with you. In the last few years, I have never spent even one day without him. But please, be careful with my Stanley. Oh, incidentally, that is what his name. In fact, I am the only shop owner in entire India who has named all my dogs with an English name.”

I forgot my annoyance for few seconds as his statement aroused curiosity in me. “English names? Why? Are you British by any chance?” I asked.

  

“Sir. I wear an Indian flag in my heart not just atop my building. My father was a freedom fighter and he used to say that when British ruled us, before Independence, they used to put up a board in front of restaurants that dogs and Indians are not allowed. I have, therefore, named all my dogs with English names to show love for my country. But you see, poor souls, they are not part of the politics.” Said the shop owner and even as he spoke, his chest swelled with so much pride, few buttons of his shirt came out tumbling.

I took out my wallet and handed over the money asked by the pet shop owner and started walking away with the dog, sorry with Stanley when I heard his voice calling me.

When I looked back, he came near, put his hand on the dog and caressing it with all the love and affection in the World as if to give it a farewell, looked at me and asked. “Sir, I just have only one question that is bothering me for quite some time now. You are not from the movie field, neither your daughter has lost her dog and as claimed by you, you don’t like dogs; then why are you hiring my Stanley for a week?”

I held on to the leash tightly, turned my face away least, the dog owner sees the expression on my face and took a few steps and said;

“You see, I have lots of nasty neighbors who own dogs and every morning purposely create all kinds of nuisance in front of my house from dogs. Obviously, I cannot go and do the same thing in front of their house on my own as I don’t own a dog.

Now, it is my chance to turn the table and show them what it means to clean all the filthy mess day after day, as I will have a dog of my own, at least for a week.”