Daughter’s earliest memories of Karkare & the dogs they both loved

One fine day,Pappa came home with a puppy – a Pomeranian. He asked me to hold the dog and told me it was mine. My first thought was that Pappa was trying to trick me,as he was prone to do. I could not believe my eyes that the dog was real. It was fast asleep and lay still in my father’s hands. I refused to get closer because I did not want my fears to be confirmed that it was a mere soft toy. To allay my doubts,Pappa woke the puppy up and put a dish of milk besides it and – the dog started lapping it up.

My joy knew no bounds as I knew for sure,now,that it was indeed a real puppy.

I named the dog Sunny and struck a lovely bond of friendship with him. He chased me when I sat in the Gypsy to go to school; and once he scared my friends by entering my classroom! Subsequently we had a couple of Doberman Pinschers – Pixie and Prince – and many other pets,rabbit,deer,parrots etc. But in the last 10 years,we kept absolutely no pets. Recently after I came to Boston after marriage,my grandmother telephoned me that Pappa had got a puppy home. I was so excited; my love for dogs certainly had not faded over the years. She teased me that it wouldn’t recognise me as a part of the family and would bark at me when I came to India.

Bruno owed his life to Pappa. Soon after he became a part of the Karkare household,he fell sick. He became feverish and suffered from an upset stomach. My mother challenged Pappa to take care of Bruno in his illness. Pappa actually came home three times that day to look after Bruno and got him admitted to the hospital,the hospital register read his name as Bruno Hemant Karkare!

He was on saline but he recovered. Pappa succeeded in saving him. Pappa told the household help,“He is just a baby and must be missing his siblings and mother. So pay attention to him. He must get timely feedings.” Not satisfied with the oral instructions he wrote on a board near the kitchen entrance the timings of the doggy’s diet regime. Everyday,he would take out some time of his hectic schedule to play with him. The puppy would jump around him the moment he saw his master and would playfully snap at him or hold on to Pappa’s legs,seeking attention.

As a consequence Pappa’s lower legs bore small scratches of the nail marks of the doggy. The last thing Pappa did while leaving home on that fateful 26/11 night was to pat Bruno on his back.

Bruno was restless after 26/11. The day Pappa’s lifeless body was brought home,Bruno was all the time pulling on his leash and barking,trying to draw attention; Mummy noticed that and asked someone to take him to where Pappa was. Bruno became quiet and sat with both his hind legs under his tummy and the front legs forward touching the floor flat with his mouth straight ahead and steady,as if in silent tribute paying his last respects.