As a blogger and key canine in the family business,
I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with dogs of all breeds, from
all over the world. To a dog, they have
been very supportive of me in my work and in my personal growth and have taught
me many things. Today I want to tell you
about two of my friends who live half way around the world in India.
Their names are Bumo and Miu. They are sisters, both 6 years old (Bumo
proud to be the older by 2 weeks) who live with their human mama, a graphic
designer and illustrator, near New Delhi.
They are Himalayan breeds so their mama gave them Tibetan names.
Miu, is a Tibetan mastiff mix whose name means
“doll” and Bumo is a Himalayan Sheepdog whose name means “girl”. I’ve seen photos of them and they are both so
pretty it is easy to see how they got such pretty names.
We met on Dogbook and continued our friendship through
emails. We shared lots of information
about our homes and families. Here is
what Bumo had to say about her home in New Delhi.
“We live in the National capital Region of New Delhi.
New Delhi is the capital of India and is situated in the plains of Northern
India. It is a very beautiful city. The National capital region includes the city
of New Delhi and lots of satellite town and is HUUUGGGGEE.”
She goes on to say: “Although New Delhi is sadly one
of the world’s most polluted cities, we live in a satellite town where there is
a lot of greenery, and it is still relatively quiet and less polluted. There are a lot of birds and insects to chase,
and monkeys too! And of course nice
stretches to walk in.”We’ve had many discussions comparing the chasing of moneys in India and squirrels in New England. No matter where we live, we dogs have lots in common. As Miu reminded me, much of what we discuss is how we fit into the human world. We agree that we have mixed feelings about things like holidays. We love the food but if they involve loud noises or lots of people singing and cheering, we’ll stay home.
“New Delhi has people from all over the country and
world. Our mama is a Tamilian from the
South of India. But she has always lived
up north in Delhi. New Delhi sees a lot
of celebrations because of its interesting mix of people from all over.”
She goes on to say: “The noise pollution is very
high and that disturbs me a lot. Bumo
doesn’t mind it very much. We have a gas
company guest-cum-ware house next door with lots of people in it. And they practically live outside in their
yards. Huge scary vehicles come and go
at all times of the day, I am constantly barking at them till I get sore. Very
annoying!”
Half way around the world and we have so much in
common like big noisy trucks and people walking on OUR roads.
Food is also something we dogs all have in
common. We can’t get enough. Bumo favors Pedigree dentastix and real bones while Miu prefers
Chewbones and dairy products, particularly paneer
made with curdled milk. Breakfast at
their house sounds wonderful! They get
an omelet each and Miu gets a bowl of milk while Bumo prefers water. While busy guarding the house while their
mama is at work, Bumo has a bowl of kibble and Miu gets toast. After all, guarding a house is hard work and
a girl does need her strength.
As Bumo tells it, their days are pretty typical of
many dogs I’ve met.
“We get up very early, at 5:30 am and ask mama to
let us out. We ensure that no one
disturbs mama while she is getting ready, which she does by 7:30 a.m. We know the regulars who come early in the
morning like the help, the gardener, and the car cleaner and don’t bark at
them.”
Then it’s a yummy breakfast and after kisses from
their mama, they settle into their beds (in different rooms cuz they tend to
fight like most sisters).
According to Miu, “We sleep most of the day or sit
on the desk and peek out of the window and bark if necessary to keep the house
safe (It is our job and an important one, wouldn’t you agree?).”
Absolutely!
That’s why we get the big bags of dog food. Speaking of food, wait until you hear what
they get for supper!
According to Miu “Dinner is chicken and rice which
is simply YUMM! The chicken is prepared
on Sundays. Fresh chicken is
pressure-cooked with fennel, salt, oil and turmeric (heals tummy problems
nicely says mama). This is then
refrigerated (frozen) and micro waved daily as required. 2 days a week we get chopped plain pork
salami and rice (Lip smacking YUMMM).
Our food is fortified with fish oil, Omega 3 fatty acids for shiny fur
and good immunity. Bumo’s food gets a
dose of some edible tooth paste since she won’t brush her teeth. She actually snaps at mama!”
What a great mama they have, cooking them all that
good stuff when she is a vegetarian!
Bumo tells how they finish up their day. “Our food
is gone in no time and then it is garden time again till it gets dark. By 8 pm we are sleepy. We curl up with mama in her bed. She watches
TV while we sleep. Did you know that Miu snores?”
(I have it on good authority that Bumo snores too).
You know… all this talk about omelets, chicken and
pork salami is making me hungry. I think
I’ll grab a bit of dry dog food from a
bag, MOM and continue our interview with Bumo and Miu again next time.
Your starving friend,
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