Animal instinct

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Animal instinct -->

Animal instinct--> Sun, Jan 6 12:25 AM

Ashwin (name changed), a top shot in a media company and a dear friend, once

told me that during his college days he was stupid enough to experiment with

drugs and sillier to get caught. The result was disastrous - he was sent home

from the premier institute he was enrolled in.

The world came crashing down on Ashwin, then a seventeen-year-old. His

parents were supportive, but were clearly disappointed in their only child.

He would have gone to seed had it not been for Champ, his three-year-old mixed

breed Lhasa Apso. " I became a complete recluse.

I didn't want to talk to anybody. But for Champ, I would have gone spiralling

down, " he recalls.

On long walks with Champ, Ashwin talked about all that was brewing in his

muddled mind. Champ would look up, his big, brown eyes full of love for his

young companion, and wag his tail vigorously at the smallest hint of affection.

Champ did not ask questions. He just loved and healed Ashwin.

HEALING TOUCH It's strange how pets know, somehow, that there is something

amiss when you know something doesn't feel right but are unclear about what it

is. It happens too often to list and in many baffling ways.

The pet will not analyse your problem as a man would or offer a dozen

solutions as a woman does. It just licks your hand and snuggles up next to you

as if to say: 'I'm right here and I'll be here when you need me.

' Pets heal as we'll never completely understand how. Like Kutty, a Labrador,

does in Jidd Special School for the mentally handicapped at Thane.

Kutty, a four-year-old who belongs to principal Shyamshree Bhosle, is the

darling of the 132 children who study there. Ravi Sonavane, a student of the

school, bursts with Kutty's tales: " Our Kutty has won a BIG trophy " , " Our Kutty

has been to America " , " Our Kutty was on television.

" Last year when Ravi stepped into the school for the first time, he wouldn't

let go of his mother's hand. Out of the protective confines of his home, the

eight-year-old was scared stiff.

He wouldn't speak to anyone and would certainly not let go of his mother.

Except one thing - he made eye contact with Kutty.

Bhosle sensed an opportunity here. She let Ravi sit in her spacious office with

Kutty for company.

On the third day, Bhosle struck a deal with Ravi: he could play with Kutty,

if he let his mother go home during school hours. It worked.

From playing with Kutty, Ravi graduated to contact with Kutty and stroked her

when she came near him. Today he is a happily adjusted child at the school.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED " Animals love unconditionally and accept a person as

he/she is. This is great emotional support to those suffering from mental or

physical illness, " says clinical psychologist Minal Lonkar Kavishwar, who

trained Kutty as a four-month-old pup to be a companion to these children.

Founder president of the Animal Angel Foundation, Kavishwar uses animals for

therapy with cancer, HIV patients and even with an autistic child, who does not

relate to human beings like an ordinary child does. Animals are especially good

for children with a handicap because society tends to reject them.

Animals, on the other hand, accept them as they are and love them with equal

enthusiasm. Children find furry pets like dogs, cats and rabbits as reassuring

as teddy bears, says Samir Rajadhyaksha of Zinu Kennel.

" And unlike the teddy bear, pets respond to a child's touch and move about

with them. " In single-child families, pets often bring in the warmth of a

sibling.

Rajadhyaksha's two-year-old Aaryan treats his German Shepherd Gudhi like a

younger sister. " When Aaryan was a child, we used to tell him that Simbha, a

huge stone dog we have, would always protect him.

I often overhear Aaryan reassure Gudhi that Simbha would protect her too. "

Sunita Jain, clinical psychologist, Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, saw a

perceptible change in her two girls Sanjana, 12, and Sagarika, 6, when a

Labrador joined the family.

" Since Leo has come into the family, the girls have become independent and

responsible. " Jain tells me about Akhilesh, a hyperactive child with a very

short attention span.

She suggested that his parents get him a pet and it worked. " He is a much

calmer child now and he takes care of his pet dog too.

" PURE MAGIC Assist dog Magic has worked miracles for Sanam Rabadi Karunakar,

28, confined to a wheelchair since she met with a road accident 13 years ago.

Not only does he fetch the remote, hairbrush and telephone for her, he even

opens doors and cupboards on command.

" Dogs are very good companion animals. You know dogs never judge you - they

don't care whether you are in a wheelchair or not, " Karunakar says.

Karunakar runs a dog boarding facility from her flat in Mumbai but there was

a time when she would spend long hours alone at home when her husband and

sister were away at work. " If I felt sad, I had Magic by my side.

There were times when he has proved a saviour - like when I had an asthma

attack and he fetched my inhaler for me, or the time when I would have been

stuck watching the same TV channel if he had not picked up the remote from the

floor. " They also have a sixth sense that tells them when you need protection.

Magic will bark the house down if someone rings the doorbell when Karunakar is

alone at home. I know, no matter how fast asleep she is, my Rottweiler Zeba,

escorts me to the toilet door and back each time I wake up at night.

It is a matter of six steps but a great leap for our friendship.