"Quick. Get things ready. I'm bringing home a puppy. Don't say anything to mummy yet," said daddy on the phone. I groaned within. I was a person who wouldn't venture a foot close to a canine. I didn't have the guts. There was one consolation though — a "puppy" apparently meant that the dog-in-becoming would currently be ultra small in size.

That's all that mattered for the time being…I was still the bigger creature, so I'd show the puppy who was boss. I didn't entirely hate the idea. I was an only child so I always craved for a playmate. The only hitch was that I was petrified of the very word "dog".

Surprise

About an hour later daddy arrived with a small shoe box. Mummy, who until then was blissfully unaware of the "surprise", began squealing when she saw the package — a little Pomeranian cross.

As the minutes ticked she got paranoid. Daddy consoled mummy. I consoled mummy — with a fake show of guts. The chubby little nervous girl in the box looked from one face to another.

If she could talk I am sure she'd have said, "What's the matter? I haven't done anything YET."

Fortunately for us, mummy's sister Munna was at home with us that day. Munna was a self-proclaimed dog lover and encouraged us to take one step at a time.

A quarter of an hour later when mummy's cries died down, we took the time to finally look at our brand new guest.

Beautiful

The first thing that struck us were her eyes. Ms Puppy had the most beautiful eyes — big, black, round eyes like buttons. She was a fair little creature. Milky white. Flawless. A black and pink little nose. Small fair paws with white nails. She was simply beautiful. A cute, chubby thing.

Uncertainly, she took her first little steps on our marble floor. A little step here, a little one there was all she could manage until she began slipping and finally fell on her belly with a plonk. In spite of ourselves all of us burst out laughing. Yeah, she was fine all right. Maybe we could live with her.

And so began Kuki's journey into our lives. Ms Puppy, after much deliberation, was named Kuki, that very day.

Kuki is now 9 years old. She's still our little baby. No place in our house is off limits to her. The bed, the sofa. You name it, Kuki can have it.

It's amazing how she taught us to love animals. With Kuki in our lives, we see her in every animal. Every cow, goat, sheep, snake, squirrel, cat, lion, tiger, elephant and the entire gamut of animal species remind us of Kuki. Someone has her eyes, someone has her nose, someone her style and someone her grace.

Unconditional love

Kuki gave us so much. Unconditional love is one of her greatest gifts. It's such a pleasure to watch her fast sleep and dreaming. Yeah! She actually dreams. I've often seen her eyelids flutter, her paws shake, her tongue stuck half way through her mouth. She's even woken up barking. I'd give anything just to figure out what she dreams about.

She has enriched us so much. We love her with a kind of love we never knew existed deep within our souls. If you have a pet and love it, you probably know what I mean. If you are lost here, then you really don't know what you are missing. If you have the space and the resources — adopt a pet. Trust me.

You don't have to worry about taking care of your pet. It will take care of you. Just open your doors to one and watch how much goodness the creature will bring into your life.

Adopt a pet

Adopt your own puppy from K9 Friends: Visit www.K9friends.com or ring on 04 3474611.

Kittens and cats can be adopted from Feline Friends: Visit www.felinefriendsdubai.com or ring on 050 4510058.

By Ashel D'Silva, Gulf News Reader

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Puppy love