By Tony Deyal
Among the first things I had to learn and recite with the other children in class was “This Old Man.” It went:
This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my drum.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
While “paddywhack” is dog food made from cows’ heads, getting the best dogs cost a lot of dough because they are pure breads. As one of my friends said, “Women keep saying that all men are dogs, but they fail to realize that dogs are the most loyal creatures in the world if you treat them right.” As a reader and writer, I learnt that a good book is like a good puppy- easy to pick up but hard to put down. There is a story about a man sitting in a cinema who noticed that the person in front of him had brought his dog and put it down in the seat next to him.
The man thought it was very unusual but, as he liked dogs, he decided to leave it alone. During the movie, there was a funny part, where the dog made low woofing sounds like laughter. Then, when there was a sad part, the dog appeared to weep. This continued throughout the movie. When the lights came on, the man asked the dog owner, “Listen, I know it sounds strange, but it looks like your dog actually enjoyed this movie!” The man’s response was, “I know. It is very weird because he absolutely hated the book!”
I can understand that. A good book is like a good dog. It is easy to pick up, but hard to put down. Or easy to play with, but hard to stop. I had got a dog like that from my politician friend, Basil Pitt, and I gave it to my father to help protect his small business in front of our house where he sold bread and foodstuffs. People loved the dog because it almost begged them to come into the yard and play with him. They even gave him bits of their bread.
What they learnt, though, was to be very careful when they bought their stuff and were leaving the yard. The lovely dog tried to bite them in the back. I used to say I had got the dog from a politician and that is something they all liked to do. Later, when I bought a computer, I joked that if that dog had got a unit like me, all my father’s people would have got a lot of bites. In which case I would have said, “Well you know, this was a poor dog who didn’t see well so he wasn’t trying to bite you but was chasing his tail to make ends meet.”
My favourite dog was my first. I started reading the comics when I was just over three years old. My cousin, Haroon, bought the newspaper every day and used it to teach me to read. While there were Mandrake, Superman, Flash Gordon and Batman, my favourite was the Phantom. He was the first comic-strip superhero ever created and hiding his real identity (Kit Walker) he walked the night fighting crimes in a country called Bangala. He had a horse named Hero, which I liked, but my favourite was a wolf named “Devil.” This was the name I gave my first dog. I wouldn’t have minded having a “Hero” as well. However, even though my Uncle, known as “Jacket,” worked in the sugar-cane field and sometimes rode a horse, his boss refused to change its name to “Hero” despite my telling him I would send the Phantom and Devil to deal with him.
For most of the rest of my life, except for a relatively long time when I moved from country to country and stayed in hotel rooms, there were always dogs around me. Maybe that is why, unlike other dog owners, my dogs don’t look like me. One study found that women with long hair tended to prefer dogs with similarly long ears, and women with short hairstyles preferred prick-eared dogs. One of my friends joked about “brick ears” but psychologists claim that humans prefer pets, people or even objects that resemble them.
Maybe that is why I preferred Devil to Hero. But it is scary to know that in a study in 2004, strangers who looked at 45 dogs and their owners, who were photographed, were able to match the purebred dogs with their people, based on the images alone. What is scary like heck is that observers were able to match car owners with the front views of the vehicles because they resembled each other. Some were found looking just like, and not at, their consumer products.
When you reach that point it is best to pet your dog. True! Research has shown that just petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol which is used to treat many conditions including inflammation, allergies and some cancers. The social interaction between people and their dogs increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). The unconditional love of a dog can do more than just keep you company. Pets of all kinds, but especially pooches, can decrease your stress, improve your heart health, and even help children with their emotional and social skills.
What’s more they help to keep you safe. This is something that I grew up with and when we lived for a while in Antigua, we had dogs that made sure we were protected. Nice dogs, loved people, but…
When we recently bought a house in Central Trinidad, we had two dogs that came with us from Antigua. They lived in what we call the “yard” but were always totally protected from sun and rain. However, because of their age and health issues, both died, and I was considering buying one to replace them. My daughter Jasmine, who is now with us, has two lovely young dogs which live inside the house. However, if anyone dares to come into the yard, they back and threaten like hell.
But I thought, just like the two that no longer were with us, we should have a tough one living outside the house. I first thought of a Golden Retriever which, when you think of loyal dogs, they are the first to come into your mind. There are also many others like German Shepherds, Border Collies, and Labradors. However, I will be 80 in a few months, and it is not a good idea to have a dog which I will have to take care of, teach and play with. These are dogs that need more than I can provide or manage.
I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe that the family is right. In fact, there is no question of that. As I continue, day by day with God’s grace and help, I think like Alfred, Lord Tennyson, that even though I might shed some tears, let “there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea.”
*Tony Deyal was thinking of buying a Rolex so he could wear it with his Timex and claim they’re watchdogs.
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