Three Silly Puttys That Ain't Silly

Teachers can come in all shapes and sizes

- Smt. Sujatha Rao

It was in the year 2004 that Putty, I(pronounced as put‧ti meaning ‘small’ or ‘little’ in Kannada), the Dalmatian dog brought in by my nephew, came to live with our family. She came in as a baby and grew into the head of the family position over the next sixteen (dog) years.

She came across as mild, even when she was barking at someone or something. She seemed happy to be around people, especially children. From a robust, playful and hyperactive young being, she grew into a mature, peaceful and graceful older self.

Under my brother’s loving care and grooming, she looked very clean and spotless (not counting the natural Dalmatian spots on her). At times, it felt as though my brother loved her more than he loved his own children.

She would be part of every family group photo. Even when she grew weak and could hardly walk, she would willingly saunter along my brother for her morning walks. When she went missing during one such sojourn, my brother’s anxiety knew no bounds. To everyone’s great relief, she found her way back home by the next day. It took her a long time to shake off the fear of the unknown after that incident.

She lived a long and healthy life and went away peacefully in June 2020 after a brief bout with illness, having given immeasurable pleasure to three generations of our family members, even to the ones who lived in a different city like me or different country like my brother’s daughter and her kids.