‘Reethu started singing softly to her, and Pupsky immediately relaxed’

For Sreenath Bhasi and family, their rescue dog Shaggy is the first ‘baby of the family’. Shaggy was rescued from Thevara as a pup by Sreenath’s grandmother, and he soon made their Vyppin home his own. “His favourite people are Unnikuttan (Sreenath’s brother Sreekanth) and my dad,” says Sreenath. Shaggy was having the time of his life as the only baby of the house, when ‘Pupsky’ made her grand entry.
After he got married, Sreenath and his wife Reethu wanted another dog of their own, a small breed which could be kept inside the house. “That’s how we decided on Pupsky, a Kyi Leo mix,” says Sreenath.

Being small and cute, Pupsky soon became the most pampered member of the family, something that Shaggy didn’t take kindly to. “He would pee around certain areas, to show that the house still belongs to him,” says Reethu with a laugh. Gradually, Shaggy accepted that Pupsky is here to stay, and the two play together now. Funnily enough, it’s Pupsky who chases Shaggy and not the other way round!

The couple take Pupsky along with them when they go out now, to friends’ houses, beaches and pet friendly restaurants in Fort Kochi. “At first, she is scared of our friends, but once she gets used to them, she will kill them with love,” says Reethu.

Once Reethu started taking care of Pupsky, she lost her fear of dogs completely, she says. And for Sreenath, Pupsky is his “cute princess’’ and taking care of her is the ‘’best practice one can have before having a human baby’’.

Meanwhile, Shaggy continues to be his naughty self, and one day went missing. “We searched everywhere, and finally, he came home, with some blue paint or powder all over his body, as if he had been to a Holi party. He was running sideways too, and it was super funny. To this day, we don’t know where he went that day,” says Sreenath.

But the most incredible experience happened to them when they were on their way to Pupsky’s hospital one day. Sreenath says, “We knew about dogs possessing human emotions, but never believed it until that day. Pupsky is easily scared by new people and places, and is terrified of hospital visits. She started shivering in the car and out of instinct, Reethu started singing to her softly, Beatles’ Hey Jude. Pupsky immediately stopped shivering, and made some squeaking noises, as if she was singing along! We were amazed, and almost freaked out.”

After that, whenever Pupsky feels scared, Reethu sings to her and she immediately relaxes, and even goes to sleep. The same happens in his music room as well, Sreenath says. “Shaggy and Pupsky are always chilling near the door or inside the room. I think dogs just love music,” he signs off.

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