Tutorial

Account

Forums

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The Freedom Tool

I first saw it about two weeks ago. Small and haggard, and obviously homeless, it stood in the field off the road. Wondering how this little white puppy survived the freezing night temperatures, I caught sight of the thing that I hate most about people doing to homeless dogs—a cord tied around its small neck. Pity and anger both surged up my blood–pity for the lonely, vulnerable puppy, hardly a few weeks old, and anger over the insensitivity of people—most likely the brats who roam about the town and “play” with stray puppies in this manner.

Feeling at once that I couldn’t just pass by, I walked back to go along the road to the nearest shops. I knew I had to buy something to feed the pup, but also get that special “tool of freedom” with which I had made it happen before. Yes! When it comes to cutting the cord of slavery, nothing works like a cute pair of scissors. This time I got one for just 15 rupees from a shop. When I returned to the filed with the scissors, a bun, and a small pack of biscuits, I saw what I feared (as from prior experiences): the pup had left. I looked for it about the place, but there was no sign of it there. Wishing it safe, I got home with the stuff—unsuccessful.

Over the following days, winter grew pretty harsh with overcast and intermittent rain, and icy winds—the townsfolk confined to their houses, and still inside to their rooms. Quite a few times, sitting by the heater in my room on nippy evenings, the thought crossed my mind that the small pup would not make it through that kind of weather. Those were the moments bringing back my wishful mood: if I only had my own house to take these little homeless pups in; to save them from life-threatening weather and at least equally dangerous people.

Then one morning, as I was returning from the market via the same route, I spotted the dirty white pup standing near a tree off the road, the awful cord still tied around its neck. Happy to see it alive, I still felt ill at ease at the sight of its “slavery necklace”. Though I had remembered to carry my freedom tool in my pocket on my previous visit to the market, this time I had left it home. And since I couldn’t afford just walking away, I rushed to the shops to get the helpful stuff.

With a new pair of scissors and some eatables, I returned to my subject. It was there, right under the tree. Leaning to it, I fed it some bread—which it welcomed hungrily—and took out the freedom tool from the shopping bag. Carefully, I cut the cord off the pup’s neck. Viola! Our friend was free! Feeding it the rest of the bread, I walked back home happily, thinking that when used for the right purpose, at the right time, and in the right way, a pair of scissors is just beyond comparison.

I had the evening ahead to think how to further help the homeless pup despite my many limitations. But for all those who have homeless dogs in their areas, particularly in developing countries where there are no rescue organizations, please do carry the freedom tool in your pocket; for it can make a poor pup’s life better without any cost.