A Canine Friend from Chail

There were many stray dogs in Chail. Some we would find asleep on the raised berm on the roadside. Others would walk around, perhaps looking for food or just going from one place to another for some reason. 

One day, during a long walk on the Chail-Kufri road, while my father was chatting with a worker at the local sub-station (housed in a centuries-old building), I managed to attract the attention of two of three dogs sniffing around the place. One let me scratch his head for a while, then moved away to sit on the road. The other one enjoyed my attention for much longer. We left the dogs behind when my father finished speaking to the electricity board employee.

Sometime later, when we returned to the same spot on our way back to our hotel, I saw another dog seated on the edge of the road from where the hill sloped steeply downward. He was white with dark brown spots. I stopped to take his picture, but he got up and walked towards me as soon as I aimed my camera phone at him. He wagged his tail and seemed friendly. I bent down to speak to him and played with him for a while. Then, I asked my father to take our pictures, and he obliged. I spent a long while speaking to my new canine friend and playing with him. He seemed to be just as happy as I was.

When it was time to say goodbye, he sat down unsmiling, his forelimbs crossed. He appeared stoic, almost like a sophisticated gentleman.

In any case, he gave me a memory I shall cherish in my heart for a long time.