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Book review: Once Upon a Dog

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We Indians have a schizophrenic relationship with dogs. There are those who tie firecrackers to the tails of hapless mongrels during Diwali — a festival which celebrates the triumph of good over evil. The kinds who buy purebred pooches as a matter of prestige, only to keep them tied outside their homes all day without food and water. The ones who think of dogs as just dogs, and not sentient beings.

Then there are some who don't hesitate to seek help for a critically injured dog, just as they don't bat an eyelid before helping a fellow human. The neighbourhood elderlies who, on early morning walks, arm themselves with biscuit and roti-laden polythene bags to feed Indian pariahs. The kinds who believe a pet is less a pet and more a family member.

It's this context that makes Dogs! An Anthology a welcome addition to India's book sphere. The compendium by publisher Captain Bijli, featuring writers and artists from the US and India, strives to show readers the world through a dog's eyes. And for the most part, it doesn't disappoint.

As with any anthology, some stories outshine the rest. Like Priya Kuriyan's Gingerly (in photo), an autobiographical account of how she went from being indifferent to dogs to eventually wanting one as a pet. The build-up to her first handshake, lick and belly rub with Ginger, her neighbour's affable Spaniel, is complemented with humourous takes on south Delhi's housing societies. Then there are the musings that resonate ("In a few months, we passed an important test of friendship; to be comfortable in silences and not feeling the pressure to do anything in each other's company"). But the highlight is her delightful depiction of 'the look' — the 'puppy eyes' that can transform a staunch "no" into a capitulated "yes".

Cerebrus, the mythical hellhound of the underworld, finds himself in a contemporary avatar in Jack Zaloga's A Brief Walk — a masterful take on the 'death is not to be feared' adage. And doffing its hat to sci-fi surrealism is Christina Mezuk and Patrick Goussy's Mutation, the tale of a mutant Chihuahua in a post-apocalyptic world.
Self-published comics like Dogs! An Anthology aim to give a platform to stories that would've otherwise been overlooked. But Dyuti Mittal's Parked is a fitting reminder of why excessive whimsy (read artwork) doesn't a great comic make. The same goes for The Street Life by Jeremy Stoll. Shohei Emura's Oye Chhotu, with its intentionally childish typeface and panels to depict a puppy's world, could have turned out better if it weren't for the abrupt ending.

But Orijit Sen's Portrait of the Artist as an Old Dog and Annie and Priya's Here and There are indications of the noteworthy outweighing the ordinary in this collection. Dogs! An Anthology may not be as groundbreaking as The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs or Mary Oliver's Dog Songs, but it's a must-have in any dog-lover's collection. More so considering that all proceeds from sales go to Delhi's Red Paws Rescue and Sai Ashram Animal Shelter.

roshni.nair@dnaindia.net, @savagespacetaco

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