You never know what the Aranha family will find on the floor when Snow, the labrador, is at home. Shoes, socks, dupattas, potatoes, bits of ginger, garlic pods, potatoes and everything that catches his fancy are quite the regular order for the loving lab. That’s not all the mischief that the seven-month-old boy is busy with.
Just recently, the Aranhas got marigold planted for Dassera. Apparently, the orange flowers were way too tempting to resist. “We woke up to a completely uprooted flower bed. Snow had chewed up every single flower and plant. He thought they were orange toys laid out for him,” explains Deepti Aranha, director, Rosary Global Education. But how do we know it wasn’t Akira, their husky or Max, their cocker spaniel? Because Snow was caught red-handed, munching the flowers!
Yes, there’s never a dull moment!
“I can’t stay angry with any of them, so I tell them what’s wrong and then hug them,” she grins. Having grown up with dogs and birds as pets, Deepti says: “There is no world for me without dogs. All our celebrations and festivals always have our dogs in them.” We believe her when we see the fuss that is created over her cockatoos and macaws and of course the three dogs.
Being the eldest has its perks – Max, the cocker spaniel, has his own chair! He is also Deepti’s favourite. Not very social, five-year-old Max allows only his human family and his handlers to pet him. The rest, beware!
Those without pets: Please get a pet, of any kind. The experience will open up a whole new world for you and change your outlook to life.
– Deepti Aranha
Seven-month-old Akira is very territorial and so he can’t be left unsupervised with the other two. That’s why he gets to go to work with Deepti everyday. “He thinks he is a working member of the family because he comes to office and enjoys just being by my brother Vinay’s side,” says Deepti. People are surprised and sometimes scared of him. Since Akira is not one of those bouncy dogs who can’t wait to meet people, he just sits and eventually people get used to him.
Back home, Max and Snow do their thing, including getting a car drive every evening. Ever-watchful, the minute they see a bird swooping close to the bird cages, the two take up guard duty till the bird flies away. “The cockatoos keep saying “Max” in a very good imitation of our voices but Max doesn’t bother. They also like to come out of their cages, roost in the sun for a while and then go back. All of us make sure we talk to them a lot. They are friendly and bold. The macaws, on the other hand, don’t want to get out of their cage,” adds Deepti.
We have had a pit bull who was a very very loving dog, we have had rottweilers as wonderful pets. I would say every dog is different and it is how you train her/him.
– Deepti Aranha
The humans haven’t enforced any rules on the canines. But the canines have. “We all are allowed to give only specific treats when we go home. When dad comes home, all the dogs will accept only bread from him. I’m slotted only for biscuits. My brother is permitted to give them sweets. Mum first has to let them tug her dupatta or saree pallu, after that she can give them any treat! They are so particular that they walk away if we give them things,” shares Deepti of her three darlings.
And it’s time for the cockatoos to come out to sunbathe. As we wrap up the conversation, we hear Deepti calling out to Max. We turn around to realise it’s the birds! Max knows, he doesn’t look back.
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