There are a couple of experiences in life that will remain dear to you no matter what…

It is no surprise to people who know me that I am a dog lover. But how big a dog lover turned out to be a surprise even to me! I am especially captivated by the bond between a dog and his master. It is so unique from any other relationship. Though like every relationship it has a ‘give and take’ policy, but if we actually sit down and weigh the ‘giving’ and ‘taking’ we will find it is so far from fair. It was this unconditional and unselfish love that I was addicted to and desperately needed a dose of after we moved into our new home.

The hunt was on and soon we got to meet a little boxer pup. With his big puppy dog eyes and fat boxer paws, he stole our hearts and was soon our ‘Hector’. We loved and doted on him day and night, this was totally expected. But the unexpected was how clever he was at picking up tricks and bending the rules. In order to harness his intelligence I referred to the internet and home trained him to do some simple tricks. I soon realized that our bond had matured. My love seemed to develop into trust and in turn he became a more confident dog. I tried hard to find a place in Bangalore where professionals would guide a ‘newbie’ like me to train Hector but with no luck. They either trained only ‘show dogs’ or offered to train Hector on my behalf. Neither appealed to me as training him was more about spending quality time with him than making him ‘smarter’. It was at this juncture that I awoke one morning only to read about ‘woofathon’ in the newspapers. It seemed almost custom made for us. It checked all my boxes and we were registered faster than you could say ‘registration’.

We, Hector and I, arrived at the camp site only to learn it was being held at a farm. Brilliant! Plenty of shade, plenty of space. It was all set to be a fun filled day. Shirin and Junaid were very knowledgeable and great organizers. There were other dogs with their owners and having Hector socialize was a bonus. We alternated between playing a few games and training. Soon it was clear the ‘games’ were actually to incorporate the ‘training’ in a fun way while still bonding with your dog. The whole camp was dedicated FOR THE DOGS. With frequent breaks to allow the dogs to drink water, have a snack or just cool off before continuing. We were guided on how to execute the ‘recall’ command and use ‘praise’ in training. The obstacle course was all ready and was truly amazing to see dogs of all sizes, breed and form attempt to navigate through the course. The swimming session seemed to haunt me in my mind as I personally don’t like water and more importantly don’t know swimming. But if I am to be honest, it was my moment of pride and joy as Hector went from being a scared pup by the pool side to a confident boxer jumping into the pool and swimming like a champion! There were team events as well, like the treasure hunt which involved the dogs’ owners to solve clues and progress to complete tasks with the dogs to obtain the final ‘treasure’. As a very fitting finale to our two day affair, we had certificates distributed to all participants and awards for outstanding performances. I guess Hector truly shone as he received an award! He was a champion according to me before but it felt great to actually win. Going into ‘Woofathon’ we didn’t know what to expect but it far exceeded my wildest expectation. I wish Shirin and Junaid organize many more events like this. There are a couple of experiences in life that will remain dear to you no matter what. I had one such experience last weekend.