From a Street dog to a Police Man!

You may call me a dog, a street dog; so do many people around. But I have a name, Tiger. A couple of households in the neighbourhood call me Tiger on account of my sturdy body and looks. Precisely I do not go after food on the Street. I visit a couple of households at the appointed hour and my requirement is taken care of them. I visit a house in the morning for sort of breakfast, another house in the after noon for lunch and yet another house for dinner. I have had no problem in the past five years or so insofar as food is concerned.

Family? Yes I had a family. I had a beautiful companion a couple of years back, also from neighbourhood. We had a very good understanding. She was with me throughout the period she lived and never strayed. We had three kids – two very good looking male pups and a beautiful puppy. Both of us were very proud of our kids. And people would look at us and wonder about our togetherness. Then one after the other and male pups were taken away by a couple of families who perhaps wanted to rear them in their houses. We did feel sorry as they departed but we could do nothing as the people who took them away seemed decent and we were sure the pups would be taken care of very well.

Disaster struck us one day, my companion met with a gory accident close to where we lived. She came below a fast moving truck and was crushed beyond recognition. I knew not what to do. I did not take food for a couple of days but thereafter I had no choice but to accept the situation. Myself and my baby used to go around and biding the time.

Whereas most of the people around were very good and gentle, a couple of rusty men and urchins used to pelt stones at us at the very sight even though we would cause no harm to them nor would even bark at them. My focus was on one man who was very rough and who would not allow us pass near him without trying to hit us with stones or sticks. Later one night I found out that that particular man was coming out of a locked house stealthily with a bag on his back. It struck me spontaneously that he was a thief and had broken into the locked house. This was confirmed next morning when the owners called the Police. I knew the thief but how to tell them about it? The Policemen brought a huge dog, took it into the house and after some time it came out sniffing hither and thither but that was all. After an hour or so the Police party left with the dog. From the dialogues of the people of the house, I could guess that the thief gave a slip with the booty.

The same man visited the area a few days later and sensing that he had come to break into a house, the people of which were generous and used to give me and my baby food. I started barking at him continuously. He tried to drive me away and pelted big stones at me and my baby. In spite of our evasive movements, my baby was hit by a stone on the head and fell down groaning. The man went away after seeing me jumping on him ferociously. After a couple of hours of struggle my baby breathed her last and I was left all alone.

From that day onwards I made it a point to follow him whenever he was sighted in our area and wanted to take revenge. I knew I did not have much option to put him away, at least I could ensure that he did not move in our area easily without being barked at by me. I made a couple of attempts to jump over him with a view to biting him but somehow he managed to escape and run away. But I did not leave at that. I continued to watch him as the thought of his killing my baby was making my life miserable.

One evening I saw him in our area and I followed him. He entered a marriage hall nearby, a fairly big marriage hall. There was a big marriage going on in the hall as I could see scores of people attending and a lot of cars coming in and going out. I waited outside the hall in a corner patiently awaiting my man. After about two hours or so, he stealthily came out with a bag in his hand. I knew when he went in he was empty handed and could easily guess that he had stolen some items from the marriage hall. As he was coming out looking around, he did not see me crouching behind a decorated pillar. As he came nearer to where I was sitting I immediately jumped upon him and caught hold of not only his dress but also part of his flesh on his right leg with my sharp teeth. He was shouting and tried to get rid of me by hitting me with the bag he was holding in his hand but I would not let him go. Meanwhile some people came running out from the marriage hall shouting that somebody had stolen the jewels of the bride. In no time a police party also arrived. Once they saw me fighting with the man holding a bag they came rushing and caught hold of the man. When a police man tried to use his baton on me, his officer who was standing by his side restrained him. Once the man was caught I left my hold. In the meanwhile people from the marriage party came out and identified the bag he was holding and told the policemen that that was the bag containing the jewels.

The thief was given a good thrashing by the policemen and was made to get into the police van. The Police Officer came near me and patted me on my back and took me to the Police Station. The brutal death of my baby has at last been avenged.

Now I have been recruited into the Police Dog Force. I am undergoing training. I have not only got a name but also an employee number! I am no more just a dog, leave alone a Street dog, I am a Policeman!