No writing challenge is ever complete without a post on my baby, Luci. For newbies, Luci is my Labrador. Luci is everybody’s darling. She has this special ability to charm the pants or lungi or skirts or saris or whatever, off just about anyone. Such is her personality. Recently she turned two. Unlike human kids who have their parents shivering when they enter the Terrible Twos, Luci has mellowed down, much to my surprise. But then, two in dog years means a good two decades in human years. So in reality she is in her early twenties.

She still has her moments, especially when she sees cats. Dogs are also in her barking list, not to mention people who talk loudly as they walk past our house. How dare you, her bark seems to suggest, talk in loud tones in hallowed spaces, errr… the road in front of my house?! This is especially evident when The Three Retirees walk past the house. They are three old men (since they don’t read my blog I can safely call them ‘old’ without fear of them turning around and asking me, ‘who are you calling old?!’) who regularly go for morning walks around the colony. As they walk, they discuss current affairs, the political and financial scenarios, cricket and what not, in loud tones. Now Luci thinks she is Mistress of All She Surveys and expects people to show some respect when in her vicinity. Their loud chatter irritates Madame Luci. She starts snorting like a steam engine when she hears them from far off, waiting for them to get closer to really let loose a volley of barks, which continues till they disappear from her line of sight. On some days if I am not too busy I order her to sit and also shut up. She tries all her wily stunts of whining piteously (Please, lemme get at them, pretty please) and pushing past me to do her number.

Another funny thing about Luci is that she hates my neighbor, a sweet lady. The minute we start talking across the wall, Luci hurls herself at the wall, barking at the top of her voice. She jumps on me, to get me back into the house. I only have to utter my neighbor’s name for her to get ready for her Bark Show.

Luci has another side to her. She hates to see anyone in distress. The other day, my household help came for work and started relating between sobs, how someone close to her had met with an accident and died, an old woman, her neighbor, who had looked after her kids and been of immense source of support to her while she went about trying to make both ends meet. When Luci heard the sobs she was agitated. She stood on two legs and tried licking the woman’s face all the while pawing her. On and off the woman recalls what Luci did and says, “Who needs human children? A dog is worth a human child any day. I doubt if even my kids would have taken the trouble to comfort me as Luci did!”

Where Luci used to be too hyper, never letting herself be petted, now she thoroughly enjoys all the fussing that comes her way. Brushing Luci used to be a hell of a job with Luci insisting the brush was for chewing. Now she sits back enjoying her grooming session. Awww… my little girl is growing up to be a sweet young lady, though I must say she grew up in size, way long back. Sometimes I miss those days when she was a wee little pup. On such days I go and play all the videos I have of her. Here is one: