The Strays

I’m all coffeed out so I wait for a friend to grab one. I seat myself at the window of the coffee shop and watch the passers by. My eyes fixate on a stray dog, he lays peacefully on the dusty path and the pedestrians dodge by as if he’s an ornamented part of the pavement.  My heart melts as I examine his stature, I’m not sure what breed he is. His innocent face is nestled in his chest, his eyes are closed and his camel colored coat shows off the dust from the Delhi roads. He needs grooming and I try to picture him that way.  What a beautiful animal he would be. His cute puppy face reminds me of the two precious dogs I owned and I feel sorry that these helpless ones have to sleep on the streets when they should be loved in a home.

A street cleaner wakes him from his slumber by nudging him with a broom made up of branches. It must be his duty to keep the shopping center free from debris, although you couldn’t really tell that his job was done all that well. The animal does as he is told and gets up slowly almost as if he’s used to the annoying interference. He walks a few steps, I see him limping and I feel even worse. He doesn’t seem as malnutritioned as some I have come across and it eases my concern a little. A nearby couple shoo him away, he looks sadder than perhaps he is.

How do dogs become stray here? Do owners just abandon them? They don’t seem to be harmed in any way I suppose, people just leave them to it. It’s heartbreaking to watch,  just like beggars they too roam the streets in search of the basics to survive.  

Another fellow animal lover pats him lovingly and instantly I feel better knowing there are some of us who feel for these creatures, the ones who can’t speak for themselves. I ask my friend if I can feed it and I’m instantly scolded as if I spoke the forbidden words. ‘They’re stray and can be wild, you never know’ I’m told. Yes, but whose fault is that really and aren’t we partially to blame? It’s not their fault.

We step out of the coffee shop and I make eye contact with the dog, I tried, I tell it. His sweet puppy eyes glisten in the dusk and my heart skips a beat. I take a mental picture so I can remember him, I’m grateful that people just leave them alone. As I walk away, I turn around, one last glance.  If I could, I would take you home.