How having two rescue dogs changed my life

When I got Delta, he was such a tiny thing. I made sweaters for him by cutting up my ankle length socks. As it was winter, I would make him wear two sweaters together. He did not even know how to drink water on his own. I had to dropper feed him water and milk every hour for around a week. I got a packet of colostrum which is a special milk for puppies (has all the essential nutrients which a mother's milk can provide to the pup). The only thing he really knew was to sleep stuck to me. He liked to lay close to my face.


Delta in his SUPERDOGGO pose

A few days after I brought him in, he seemed to have fever. I did not know of any good vets in my area. I stayed awake the whole night, scared and praying that Delta be all right. Kept him stuck to my body the entire night. I was so worried. I kept checking his paws and ears. If the paws and ears are overly warm, its an indication of fever in doggos. It was one tough night. However, my brave boy pulled through, all hail and hearty. That was the moment I realized, I would do anything to keep him safe.

Cleaning after them

I have forgotten the countless number of times I have changed sheets and pillow covers as Delta had peed on the bed. Alpha and Delta used to poop four times a day. Alpha would shiver uncontrollably in the cold outside, no matter how many sweaters I'd bury him in, while Delta's nose would start running. Thus, potty training them or taking them outside was out of the question. I would wake up in the morning, clean poop and pee, give them breakfast, leave for work, come back during lunchtime to clean poop and pee, feed them lunch, then repeat the process twice in the evening. Suddenly, I had gone from being a carefree person to a full time maid.

Feeding difficulties

Alpha was a very choosy eater. He would sometimes eat his kibbles, other times he would just sniff and go away. Sometimes I mixed his kibbles with curd, sometimes I'd give him rice with chicken or egg. He preferred variety in his meals. On the other hand, Delta hated kibbles altogether. He preferred rice but simply loved chapati (Indian wheat bread). Rice was easier for us to cook but Delta had difficulties in digesting rice. So for Delta, it was chapati while for Alpha, it was rice (he did not like chapati much) mixed with eggs or chicken.

Dealing with the cold

I cut socks to make sweaters for Delta

Alpha hated the winter. He would bury himself in the blankets and stay there despite of the heater working full time. Delta was a little more resilient. He, neither then nor now, prefers the blanket. I always put a blanket on him worried he is cold. But in a few minutes, he would throw it away and sleep with his legs in the air (chicken legs).                                                                                                                       

My showstopper, Alpha

Before having them, I could not have imagined doing so much of work in one day. But just having them in our lives compensated for all the hard work I did. In fact, I did not even feel like it was any sort of extra work. They were the centre of our little universe. Whatever they wanted or needed, they got.

My little angel, Delta Bunny

 People think, so much extra needs to be done when you have a dog. But think about it this way, if you have a kid, won't you do all of this for him? If it's your kid, sacrifices, adjustments, lack of sleep would all be justified. But just because the dog does not share your bloodline, does he not deserve the same treatment?

I have read so many posts mentioning 'treat your fur babies like your own kids'. As per me the sentence is wrong. It should be 'From the moment you fell in love with that adorable face, it became the right of your fur baby to demand every bit of attention and care they need. They are not like your kids. They are YOUR kids. Things you do for them can only be classified under love, not sacrifices or adjustments'. They deserve it all and so much more...

RELATED CONTENT:

• The heartwarming rescue stories of my dogs (Alpha and Delta)
• Coping with the grief of losing my fur baby (Alpha)
• A letter from my fur baby (Alpha) to me...

Some things can just be shown...not written...Enjoy...!!