IT WAS DURING 1994. I HAD SHIFT MY RESIDENCE TO A VILLAGE NEARBY TO MY TOWNSHIP,WHERE I WAS LIVING.THE NEW HOUSE IS A OWN HOUSE OF 4800 SQ.FT AREA,RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE.

SNAKES WERE MORE INSIDE THE COMPOUND. MY CHILDREN WERE GOING TO SCHOOL, IN THOSE DAYS. I HAD GO TO MY OFFICE WHICH IS ABOUT 16 KMS OF DISTANCE AND MY WIFE WAS LEFT ALONE IN THE HOUSE. WE DID NOT LIKE TO HAVE ASSISTANTS.SO I WAS WORRIED ABOUT MY LONELY WIFE. WE ALL DISCUSSED ABOUT IT AND DECIDED TO REAR A PET DOG. WE WENT TO A KENNEL AND SELECTED A PUP A VERY GOOD BREED ALSATION.THE PUP WAS A BITCH (FEMALE DOG).SHE WAS VERY AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS US.

mm..........IN THE MEANWHILE, MY WIFE DID NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF REARING A PET ANIMAL AT ALL. MY CHILDREN JOINED WITH ME TO CONVINCE MY WIFE AND FINALLY SHE AGREED TO THE IDEA BUT WITHOUT ANY CONCENT.

WE BROUGHT THE PUP HOME. SHE WAS VERY MISCHIEVOUS AND WAS PLAYFUL ALSO. WE GAVE PROPER CARE TO HER AND WE GAVE HER GOOD MEDICATION AS PER THE ADVISE OF THE VETERINARIAN. SHE WAS GROWING VERY HALE AND HEALTHY. THE PUMP HOUSE OF OUR HOUSE WAS SET SEPERATELY. AND OFTEN WE USE TO SEE THE SNAKE IN THAT AREA. SO INVARIABLY TO SWITCH ON THE PUMPSET EITHER I SHOUDL DO THAT BEFORE I SET OUT FOR MY JOB OR MY CHILDREN SHOULD BE AVAIALBLE. AS DAYS GO BY TONY, THAT IS HOW WE CALLED THE PUP,OBSERVED US AND STARTED TO SNIFF PUMP HOUSE ,BEFORE WE GO TO THE PUMP HOUSE AND THEN ALLOWED HER TO SWITCH ON OR OFF. THIS ENCOURAGED MY WIFE TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBLITY OF PUMP SET HANDLING. BY NOW SLOWLY, SHE STARTED TO LOVE, TONY. TONY WAS MORE FAITHFUL TO HER TAHN TO US. SHE WAS MORE OBEDIENT TO MY WIFE,BECAUSE SHE WAS FEEDING TONY ALL ALONG.

WE HAD NO MASTERS TO TEACH OR TRAIN TONY. BUT WHILE WE TALK SHE WOULD GRASP AS WHAT WE EXPECT FROM HER AND SO EFFECTIVELY SHE WOULD DO IT WITHOUT DELAY. WALKING ALONG WITH US TO OUR LEFT.INFORMING US WITH DIFFERENT SOUND ABOUT THE SNAKE'S MOVEMENTS WITHIN OUR COMOUND,TAKING CARE OF THE FRONT DOOR OF OUR HOUSE WERE ALL HER MAJOR DUTIES.

I used to bring home khova sweet for my children during the weekends. Tony will know for sure that khova sweet had come home. She will sniff and find out its place.Usually my wife used to keep it in the top of the refrigerator,so that she can serve us without fail. But, tony would be sitting before the fridge leaving her tongue to sag and would drip her saliva on the floor. she would never ask us,but would patiently wait for the khova sweet is served to her.

another intersting thing is the sweet candy. The candy man knows the special sound of our Tony and would come near our compound gate and vehemently shout," cotton candy...............cotton..........candy................." Tony will jump inot the house and lick my wife to come out with her.If my wife pretends as though she had not noticed her, Tony woulod catch her left arm gently and lead her to the compound gate and would start wagging her tail. Until cotton candy is given to her neither the candy man nor my wife can go. Once my wife got wild on this request and shouted at Tony,"every day you wanted cotton candy. What will happen to you health.Keep quiet.!!!" on hearing this Tony wnet silent,without saying anything and did not show any sign and was sittiong at the entrance. Tony refused to take food that day and was turning her face,when my wife compelled her to take food.

In the evening when I came home,Tony came running to me and dragged me to the nearby tap. (She had the habit of drinking water straight from the tap. She never use to drink water by licking it)I knew, she wanted water and so I opened the tap. She drank as much as she needed. It was quiet unusual to me. because she was drinking water to fill her tummy.On seeing this my wife came out and said, Tony did not have food also,because she is angry with her,since the cotton candy was not provided to her that day.

I told Tony,"Dont worry, Amma would give you cotton candy tomorrow." What a wonder,she immeidately ran to her plate and started to eat also.She was like a child to us only.