Innocence personified

Don’t ever fall for it. He is a rascal, but an adorable rascal. Like the snake Kaa in Disney’s version of Jungle Book, look into his eyes and he will hypnotize you into giving him something to eat. “I have not eaten for two days, please, will I ask you otherwise”- that is what the look will plead, five minutes after lunch or dinner!!

He is half boxer, half Alsatian. Dolly is his mother/illicit lover. Sounds scandalous isn’t it? Hush. The villagers don’t know it. There was such a demand for the pups, the Mugalur Quintet (see an earlier post ‘Unconditional Love’). Like his father Tyson, he was too quick for us and the unthinkable happened. The result of his sins… was quintet not twins. He was about to be given away too but fortunately or unfortunately, Tyson suddenly died of heart failure ( who would believe a pedigreed two year old Boxer who could out run a motorcycle can have a weak heart!) and so Jesse was retained in the farm as the male guard dog.

He defends his territory with such zeal. Woe betides any two-legged or four legged creature which steps inside the six acre farm. Two goats had their ears stitched back by a vet and a calf barely escaped drowning in the adjacent lake. Cost me a pretty penny, the goats’ ears. The villagers’ with their whacky logic decided that justice would be better served in the side of the pitifully bleating goat rather than a vociferous dog. They turned a blind eye to the fact that the goat strayed into the farm but for the dog to chase and bite the ears off the goat is a crime!

Jesse is bad news for the snakes in the farm. With a peculiar half growl, half bark, he will pounce on the snake. The poor creature stands no chance against his strength and speed. Escape is near impossibility, unless a tree happens to be nearby. The fight lasts barely twenty seconds and at the forced end of it, the snake is too badly mauled to crawl away. Fascinating, the fights are. He will step back to avoid when the snake rears its head but when it tries to flee, he will lunge and bite with such ferocity.

Two labourers had their hind quarters tested for plumpness (or the lack of it).The only creature to escape his fangs was a turtle who wandered over from the neighbouring lake. The growl and bark served only to send the turtle into its shell. He couldn’t bite the shell nor could he turn it over. For a change, he was stumped, not knowing what to do. Who said turtles are slow? Before I could run home and get the camera, he had vanished and even Jesse couldn’t trace him!

Jesse loves water and frolics in any pool, big or small, much to the consternation of Dolly who prefers dry cleaning. Often he will come home, dripping wet and soaked to the skin except for the top of his head.

Ha, finally the fight for the favourite sofa. He loves to stretch out on the sofa which is actually my couch. The minute my back is turned, he will climb on it. Sometimes even when I am stretched out, he will simply climb up and snuggle along with me. Ears bent back, a big slurp and a nibble on my ears, everything will be forgiven. Such love is difficult to resist, isn’t it?