Flash Post 265!

Button, it’s been a while since I saw this advertisement or was it a news item in one of the dailies which spoke of a foreigner conducting classes in Delhi to teach humans the art of understanding pet language or what their pets are trying to convey to them.

That’s interesting! Did you go?

I didn’t but I can tell you that I understand what our pets want to convey to us most of the time.

For instance…

For instance, the older one, who is 12 years of age, can’t see too well. And just like humans, has developed cataract in one eye with age. Both of them sleep on the bed with barididi and, to assist them to climb up and down to and from the bed, a low bench has been placed adjacent to the bed. During daytime, Mowgli climbs onto the bed ably but the minute it gets dark and she is unable to see too well to be able to climb up or down, she starts barking to communicate to us that she needs one of us to go to that room and switch on the lights so she can see where she is headed. The other habit of hers is barking for water immediately after meals. If that bowl of water is not there, she’ll shriek till her demand is met.

Are there other examples you’d like to mention here?

There’s more. Mowgli is in the habit of using our bedroom door to walk out onto the terrace and not through the other door they are meant to use. If the door from our bedroom is shut or slightly ajar, she walks up to the door and barks just to signal to us that she wants one of us to open the door for her. What we usually do before she can bark is to go and open the door anyways. Sometimes she walks to the door and turns her head sideways to make eye contact with whoever is in the room because, by now, she comprehends that the person in the room will open the door for her.

Please also tell our readers a little about our Labrador baby, Mojo.

Compared to Mowgli, Mojo is far less demanding. The only time she draws our attention to is meal times when, on the dot of 1 in the afternoon and 8 in the evening, she stares at me or becomes unusually restless to remind me that it’s time for their feed.

Maybe with age, she will also become a little more demanding!

Perhaps! Another habit of theirs which proves the fascinating communication bridge between man and animal is that whenever we order in for food, our security staff always intercoms us to inform us that food has arrived and can they send up the service boy. As soon as the intercom rings, both Mowgli and Mojo start barking and, till date, we have not figured how they understand that food has arrived! They bark irrespective of when food is ordered in–be it morning, afternoon or evening!

Is the smell of the food a give-away?

None of us know. While they bark when we receive food parcels, they don’t bark when the grocery arrives daily or medicines that are ordered two to three times a week or when the cooking gas cylinder is delivered or when couriers come to deliver parcels!

Interesting observation. Looking back, I understand what you are trying to say and very puzzled as I don’t understand why they should bark every time food is delivered to the house and not when other deliveries come in.

Try and understand that they bark when the intercom rings when there is no way they can smell the food!

Yet they know that food has arrived!