Remembering Goosey And Her Ways

Goosey was our German Shepherd and like all dogs, she had a certain funny side to her character. We lost it to a snake bite. One post would not suffice so I would be writing two, this being the first one of the two.

We had Tango and Frinto too. Both passed before Goosey became part of our family. Both Tango and Frinto had their respective unique character. I emphasise on character and not characteristics because over the years, staying with dogs has taught me so. I am sure no dog lover can ever contest that. We now have Misty and my younger one feels it to be an incarnation of Goosey. But some things were so unique to Goosey that I doubt I would ever come across another dog like that.

When we brought home Goosey, she was anaemic, infested with lice and scared of almost everything – sounds, shapes and movements. She surely was a neglected one and her loving eyes clearly said that she wanted to just one chance and only a little care for the world to know what joy she could bring. She was the weakest of the litter, which was the obvious reason she wasn’t picked up by the time we got to her. Only time would tell, that a golden heart drives the dog more than the physical attributes, which can be misleading at times. It took only a month to see the prize we had picked up even though it took a couple of years before her health would be fully restored. Her name “Goosey” was chosen because she somehow resembled a duck and probably “Goosey, Goosey Gander” was my younger one’s favourite poem. The fact that Goosey seemed like a male name did not bother anyone in the family. Beyond that don’t ask me how the name stuck because I cannot really explain it.

German Shepherds have the size, shape and demeanour that would scare away most people. However, the way Goosey was brought up she rarely showed that she was the closest descendent of the wolf. This I suppose is another great attribute of a German Shepherd – the ability to be any type of a dog. A German Shepard can be a shepherd dog, a sniffer, a tracker, a guard dog or a good family dog. Without dwelling upon too much of the dog talk, I want to proceed to tell about Goosey who was a good-natured family dog of ours.

She had a way of greeting family members coming back home from anywhere, school, vacation, work or even a short trip to the market. The greeting seemed more like her attempt to overpower the people she was greeting. Both front paws on the shoulders and the long tongue lapping up the entire face. It quite some time for her to realise that this was not the best way to greet folks sometimes. Apart from intimidating, it would sometimes upset the guests concerned with their dress. A few would want to run away rather than be greeted by Goosey. Goosey on the other hand never realised all the fuss, such people, created. She soon improvised and learned to be satisfied with welcoming everyone home with a small lick on the ear. This was something that she as much as the rest of the household understood to be a kiss. It would be sufficient on most occasions except when Goosey got driven to near madness with love for the family and visitors alike. This ceremony of kissing everyone was mandatory – the more someone delayed, the more enthusiasm she showed and would not stop even if that needed for her to make folks fall on the ground so that she could “kiss”. However, it never happened to certain people. The elders or anyone else for whom this signature welcoming of hers could cause even the slightest of harm were very easily allowed to get away with a soft pat on her head. The happiness remained the same though.

The morning rush hour hustle-bustle would make the entire household busy with preparing for the daily routine of office, school etc. Despite all such mornings, Goosey had the ability to snatch a few moments to play with the boys and other family members grabbing every fleeting opportunity even in those busy mornings. She never slept late and was up as soon as anyone would wake up. Always looking for opportunities to experience joy and share it with the entire household. Papa used to have his bed tea in the bedroom though. He being bedridden he did not join the rest of the family for the morning tea in the drawing-room. There were always extra biscuits which would go Goosey’s way as we sipped our tea and chatted. As soon as someone took the tea and biscuits to dad, Goosey would drop everything and walk along with the person carrying the tea to Papa’s bedroom. There she would sit patiently for as long as it would take for Papa to start having tea. Halfway through Papa would throw an extra biscuit or two to Goosey who would peacefully munch her share of biscuits from Papa. Only after Papa indicated to her, “no more”, she would get up and walk back to the drawing-room where the rest of the family would still be sitting. While she took a biscuit from everyone, she never showed greed. After all, she got to eat the maximum number of biscuits.

It was earth she loved more than the slippery floor of the house or even the rough floor of the terrace. She loved to dig more than any other dog I have ever known. We often introduced her to our friends as our “Farmer Dog, Goosey”. She loved to dig all over the place wherever and whenever she could. Somehow the blooming flowers and the lush green grass maintained with so much difficulty in the desert were always spared. She loved the bloom and grass as much. The rest of the place was her digging area. The entire family knew the code “digam” which would make her start digging straight away – as if there was a treasure to be buried or to be retrieved. That look she gave while digging suggested that all others were missing all the fun. She loved it if one of the boys joined her to dig holes in the backyard. Just murmur the word “digam” and she would start digging – the actions were done even if she was inside the house and could never dig up a tiled floor. She loved digging so much that once I had to give up trying to get new flower beds made – for all the effort would get wasted. Goosey would love to continue to dig even after it was no longer needed!

She lived a short life of barely five years, dying at the prime of her age. But the joy she gave to each one who came across her was immense and cannot be compared to anything. She had a heart that held all the happiness of our respective worlds. It’s been years since she has gone but a mere mention of hers always triggers the joyous stories that connect with each one of us in a unique way.