A Born Dog Lover

When Sathish was around five years old, his family and relatives went to Ooty on a holiday. It was not the beautiful landscape that caught his attention, but some cute German Shepherd puppies, which had been kept for sale by the lake. When his parents refused to buy one for him, Sathish grabbed a puppy and quickly ran towards the bus.

“I don’t remember what exactly happened afterwards. But, my parents and relatives often make fun of me over that incident,’’ Sathish said.

For S. Sathish - ‘Pakku’ to his family and friends - this obsession with pets was not a childhood fancy. Love for animals, particularly dogs, comes quite naturally to him. A visit to his house, ‘Aayilyam’, at Govindamangalam near Ooruttambalam, on the outskirts of the city, would prove this fact.

‘Aayilyam’ is literally a jungle of pets. Sathish owns more than 30 dogs, including eight Labradors, two Great Danes, five Rottweilers, two Dachshunds, four German Shepherds, two French Bull Dogs, one Neapolitan Mastiff and a pug.

“When I was in the eighth standard, I had caught 16 water snakes and conducted an exhibition in school. Besides, I used to bring young street dogs home,’’ said Sathish, who is a lift technician by profession.

Sathish set up the present kennel around ten years ago. He has a thorough knowledge of pets and is a regular participant in dog shows and exhibitions. What makes his kennel special is that most of the breeds are of a direct lineage of original foreign breeds.

“Dogs commonly available here are either a cross or may be the puppies of some 30th or 40th generation. In order to get the puppies from the original bloodline, I buy the puppies from kennels in Chennai and Delhi, where they mate the original breeds. And, I can tell the exact lineage of all the dogs in my kennel,’’ he said.

Sathish shares a deep relationship with all his dogs. “Everyone has a name. Once they hear the sound of my bike, all of them start barking in a particular manner. It will continue till I take a quick round of the kennel and pat everyone on the head calling their names,’’ he said.

The dogs also hold a special attachment with Sathish and his family members. “My younger daughter, when she was around three years old, went outside the compound. I was not there. My wife and mother did not see her as they were in the backyard. Suddenly, Appu (a Labrador) started barking violently. When my wife reached the kennel, she noticed that the gate was left open. She rushed outside. By that time, some of our relatives, who were passing by, brought the child inside,’’ Sathish said.

In contrast, Sathish has faced some sad incidents too. “Unlike Labs, Rottweilers cannot be trusted. Once, Rocky, a Rottweiler, had bitten my daughter’s hands. The injury was so severe that there were over 12 stitches on her hand,’’ he said.

And, Sathish had to remove Rocky from his kennel soon after. “My daughter and Appu are great friends. This incident had occurred in front of Appu. After this incident, Appu started attacking Rocky everytime and finally I decided to give Rocky away,’’ Sathish said.

Though Labrador is the most tame of the lot and will become a member of the family very quickly, Doberman is the best as a watch dog. “Doberman is vigilant, has an attacking mentality and has a big size. Besides, he will consider only one person as his master,’’ he said.

Sathish’s wife Sandhya and mother Shyamala Devi assist him in his endeavour. Besides dogs, Sathish also has a collection of around 200 Bonsai specimens, an orchid cultivation and diverse types of birds and ornamental fishes in his house.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS CITY EXPRESS SEPTEMBER 2009