Lauren

Letting Goddess Lakshmi in & Alfonso out!

It’s a Hindu custom to leave the front door open in the evening to welcome Goddess Lakshmi into the home and therefore wealth. There have been incidences where people lose all of their wealth because an open door also welcomes thieves. Everyone in our building practices this, but this custom is not really practical when you have a small, energetic puppy.

If the door is open, Alfonso will run outside and straight into our neighbours house, our neighbours who are scared of dogs. It turns into a circus, people jumping up on chairs or running away. He thinks it is absolutely fanstastic. He once stole some underwear from our washing basket and proudly ran a lap of our neighbour’s living room with it (he has a good sense of humour)!

Poor Alfonso, he just wants to play, but most people are not interested. If you have ever owned a dog in India, you will know that most people are really scared of them. I am guessing it is because not many people own dogs and since childhood they would have been avoiding the possibly rabid street dogs.

Yesterday, the children from upstairs came into our house, saw him and ran away. They left the door open so Alfonso ran after them, and behind Alfonso was me trying to catch him! He ran up two flights of stairs and into their apartment, through their kitchen and into the back bedroom where the two little boys were standing on the bed screaming. 

It was so embarrassing, there were loads of people in the house. A little breathless after desperately running up two flights of stairs, I apologised profusely and took him home.

alfonso the pug face puppy
What’s the big deal?

So, now instead of opening the front door for Goddess Lakshmi, the back door has to be open instead. That door leads to the balcony, Alfonso cannot do any mischief there!

21 comments

  1. Why don’t you introduce Alphonso to the little ones? In a more controlled environment? They might be afraid because they have been taught to be so and being kids, they will be curious. Running around might upset little Alph and end up in him being frisky which might be misunderstood. 🙂

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    • Hey!!
      The two boys actually play with and cuddle Alfonso most evenings (the boys practically live here), but if they come in and he is there at the door they get a surprise. He has to be brought out when they are settled. The boys just let themselves in and Alfonso is waiting to play, they are more frisky than Alfonso sometimes.

      I have tried to get Alfonso used to them because of our plans for children, most of the time its fine but then sometimes… this happens 😛

      I hope you are well! xxx

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      • @Lauren

        We have been taught in our childhood to stay away from dogs unless you want fourteen painful injections in the stomach. This was actually the cure for rabies in olden days. I think these injections were administered over a period of few days. The other reason is religion. In religious households in olden days, one could not enter the kitchen without bath. Women were kept out of kitchen during ‘those days’. This was the standard of cleanliness.

        Another factor was cost of maintaining a pet in India. Unless you are reasonably well off, it is very difficult with all the food and immunization cost. It is like having another member in you family.

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      • Thank you for this, friend. Now I know for certain, I expected it was something to do with rabies! I know that some families still practice the kitchen thing and yes pets are costly but Alfonso is definitely a member of the family so completely worth it!

        Lauren xxx

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  2. I recently (today to be exact) found your blog and started to read and it becomes my latest fix. I am Thai who is fond of India and Indian tradition, Bollywood is part of it:-) i thought I was Indian the past life and turned out to marry with a Swiss man we met in my homwtown now we moved and live in Switzerland for 3.5 years till now. I thought It was just me who became homesick, cried a lot when I first moved here following my husband:-) we adopted 2 cats later and I felt a lot better. Love to read your stories and I am your fan now. Bisous to your little Alfonso xo..

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    • Awww thank you so much Mixcherry!

      So sweet, I am certain you were Indian in a past life. Many people think the same. I have never been but always wanted to go to Switzerland! How lovely, I can understand your feeling of homesickness and how much pets can improve it!!! Would love to hear more about your life in Switzerland!

      Take care,

      Lauren xxx

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      • Sure, I would be happy to share it with you. Will catch up with you later then :).

        Best,

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  3. he is so adorable. it might be people in your area are not found of dogs but else in India also Dogs are equally loved and kept as pet. My family is a dog lover, we have space issue therefore trying not have pet, but there is a cute street dog which is partially adopted by my family, he had all his meals at our house. At times I tease my husband that here comes your Boyfriend waving his tale, seeking your attention 😛

    Once we move to a bigger place, we going to have a dog for sure 🙂

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  4. Yikes, Lauren. I just wrote you a lengthy reply and when I went to post it, I was invited to log in again by my ISP. Then hey presto my comment had disappeared. Lauren we also have problems with Flocky getting out and terrorising the neighbourhood. Most people don’t own dogs and are afraid of them too. So leaving the gate open is not an option here and Lakshmi has to enter through a window instead. We tend not to leave any doors open here because of snakes. We had one inside a few weeks ago. I far prefer spiders. Talk to you later Lauren…… Dai

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    • Oh dear,
      I hate it when that happens. Happens to me all the time. Eaak.
      I am glad it’s not just me with a dog who causes havoc! Flocky is much bigger so I can only imagine how people react, Alfonso is very small and people still scream their heads off!

      Oh my gosh.. SNAKES!!! Argh, no thank you.

      I hope you, your family and flocky are wellll! Take care,
      Lauren

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  6. I’m definitely ready for Alphonso cuddles! I’ll be sad to leave my dog behind permanently. 😦
    Alphonso’s so funny. 😀 You poor girl. My dog Malechi was set on the same – embarrassing me. He was always running off and scaring old ladies, and because he’s big and a German Shepherd / Husky mix, he scared people even more… Although he’s just fluffy, loving and not-so-intelligent. ♥

    When I stayed in Jhansi, I could hear packs of dogs running the streets at night. I know many people are scared of dogs there.
    When I was in Nagpur, actually, I was with Bodyguard, on the way to our hotel in the evening. He left me on the side of the road so he could hail an autorickshaw taxi, and a few stray dogs were walking by. I made kissing sounds at them and the female came over and licked my hand. Bodyguard turned just in time to see this and got really worried. He called me away from them, and said “Are you mad? They could have attacked you!”

    I guess I should be careful, and maybe it’s a bad thing that I don’t fear dogs. At least, in a place where dogs run wild.

    It sounds like an eventful day though! ♥ I hope you enjoyed it in the end. 😀

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    • Awww Alfonso is waiting 😛
      I am sure you will visit often, I miss my family dog too. I see her on Skype a lot though, she doesn’t really react to my voice (maybe she is angry at me haha).

      Street dogs here in Nagpur are very friendly, they are fed a lot by the street vendors. I can just imagine bodyguards face hahaha!

      Your dog sounds so beautiful, make sure you give him lots of cuddles before you go!!

      Love xxxx

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