Happy Birthday Polka!

Polka was born on Dec 19th 2009, as per her medical records. A Sagittarius girl. According to Linda Goodman's Sun Signs book - every female teenager has read her book including yours truly - "To the Sagittarian, life is secretly a circus, and (s)he's the clown, rolling and tumbling through purple hoops in a sky-blue suit”. This describes Polka perfectly - a happy-go-lucky, carefree spirit!

For her birthday, Polka got a lot of treats and toys. As a special treat, she was even allowed to sleep on the bed with us! We decided to take Polka to the Animal Lovers League (ALL) farm from where we'd got her nine months back. The volunteers were happy to see her - the little puppy they'd known had grown into a big, strong, wonderful girl.

Polka was left behind in an off-leash park next to the farm. She was known as Kiwi then.. This was the story that was put out by ALL at that time:

"Cases of abandonment and cruelty continue to soar. Little Kiwi is one such case. Kiwi’s owners simply left her behind. Never to return. The poor girl sat in a field playing with the dogs as they ran by. One by one, the dogs left for home, with their owners. Kiwi’s owners were nowhere in sight. This innocent girl was left without water and food. All she had on was a red collar. We looked around anxiously for the people who left her behind. Nobody knew or saw her owners. We waited and prayed they would return but nobody came. How harsh and cruel this world can be to the young and innocent who ask for little but love and a roof over their heads. Little Kiwi remains as happy as can be. She loves the company of other dogs, bigger or smaller than her. Kiwi is amazing. Despite her sad tale, she continues to brighten our lives. She seems to know no sorrow. Do you have a forever home for Kiwi? She is young and deserves far more."

I guess Kiwi (now Polka) thought it was all an adventure. She was 2 months old when she got left behind in the park. I can imagine Kiwi looking around for her owners, perhaps her mother, trying to find a familiar face among the crowd.. She must have sat patiently having full faith that everything would be just right. When she was taken in by the kind folks at ALL - the farm with hundreds of dogs and cats must have caught her fancy. Her big eyes must've lit up, 'This seems like fun. So many dogs to play with'. She was kept isolated as her immunizations were not done but she must have said, 'I must be special to get a room for myself. That’s so cool'.  When we met her at the farm, she wagged her tail and was ready to play. There was no sorrow or fear written on that beautiful face and every stranger - human or dog - was treated with a delightful jump. Polka surely must see life through rose-tinted glasses!

When Polka arrived home for the first time, she ran into every room and back and then looked up at us with her large inquisitive eyes, as if to say, 'And the adventure continues. Life is indeed a circus and I always take centre-stage. After all, it’s all about rolling and tumbling through purple hoops in a sky blue suit. Isn’t it?’

Happy Birthday, my dear Polka!