I have never been an animal lover. Correction: I never had been an animal lover, and then Zzombie happened. A barking, woofing dog with the face of a sage and flapping ears came into my life and it was love at first site…at least for me. Zzombie, my cream and chocolate coloured basset hound, was a gift for my young sister, who is dog-crazy. Zzombie, ever since he was a little puppy, made it quiet clear that he will love us conditionally, be a dedicated and good pet, but he refused to be commanded and ordered. We have to be gentle when speaking to him. We always ‘ask’ him to do something, never ‘order’ him.
Zzombie got his name because of his nocturnal behaviour. I work in a call center and my shift timings are always haphazard. But whenever I came home, this little puppy with droopy ears was waiting for me, excited on seeing me. We ate together late at night and sometimes even went on walks at unearthly hours.
Zzombie is always alert and full awake, even at three in morning, hence his name. We always crash on the bed together, sleeping all through the morning. My sister always complains that I have taken over her pet, but try as much she can, Zzombie has unwavering dedication to me which he shares with no one.
Zzombie is a darling who wins the hearts of everyone who meets him. He is a special favourite with kids. He has been invited to birthday parties where he models for pictures with kids and joins in the revelry. Zzombie is quiet a character in himself, a rebel too. He has his own favourite chair, which he refuses to share with anyone. He will not allow anyone to sit on his ‘throne’. Once a friend of my mother sat on his chair, happily chatting to my mom and Zzombie appeared out of nowhere to claim his throne back. What ensued is hilarious. Zzombie, at first, sat right in front of that aunty and gave her cold stares. Aunty brushed his aside thinking he was simply curious about the guest in the house. Then incessant sniffing started, eventually making the aunty uncomfortable. On seeing that she still hadn’t got the clue, Zzombie started scratching the chair legs and barking. That is when my mom stepped in and asked aunty to duly shift to the other chair.
Zzombie can take a liking to certain things and gets all possessive- he has his chair, his favorite ball, his favorite spot near the dining table- he truly is the majesty of our house.
In spite of his seeming hot-headedness, he is complete fuzzy at heart. My sister calls him butterscotch. Even though he is four-year-old, he still wants to be pampered and petted, and will follows us all around the house until we give him our undivided attention and tell him what an adorable dog he is!