Review: 'Dog-Send', about a dog called Simba

Early in the book, the author Gauri Sinh grapples with the question, “Why a book on a dog?” Her dog Simba cannot sniff out bombs or perform tricks. Unlike Marley in Marley And Me, Simba’s escapades aren’t even naughty enough. But for every author, the subject needs to be special, she says. And Simba is special to her.

The year is 2000, and Sinh and her husband Chait are almost a year into their marriage. She wants to gift him something special for his birthday, and hesitantly gets him a Labrador, unsure whether she herself will take a liking to the dog. As the years pass, Simba becomes a part of the family.

The book has anecdotes that are moving. At one time, Sinh hopes Simba will be able to scare away a spirit that keeps moving the furniture in her house. Instead, Simba cowers on the bed with her. She fears the dog is a coward. At every visit to Oval Maidan, other dogs attack him but he never retaliates. 

The mood of the book changes when Sinh realises she is pregnant. She ignores advice that she keep the dog away for the period of her pregnancy. However, she realises that Simba might not be willing to share the attention he is so used to.

Anxiously, Sinh brings her newborn home from the hospital. The dog ignores the baby. And then, one morning, she sees Simba enter the bedroom and head straight for the crib. He peers into it to ensure the baby is fine. Her fears are finally put to rest.