After Dumpy left Ahmedabad, Tito would be locked up at home when Alka and I left for work in the morning. We’d be return home for lunch. After he was fed, we would take Tito out in the garden to relieve himself, stretch his legs, and enjoy some exercise before we left him at home again till we returned from office in the evening. I would take him on walks in the mornings and evenings, interrupted by time spent playing and sitting on the campus lawns.
The campus residences were built with seclusion in mind, and even nearby houses were not within shouting distance of one another. Tito provided both camaraderie and security. Nobody could be in the front or back yard at night without Tito detecting their presence and barking his disapproval.
I recall one amusing episode. I was away. Alka had retreated to the upstairs bedroom for the night. As usual, Tito’s bed was placed on the floor next to Alka’s bed, where he would spend the night. Shortly after midnight, Tito suddenly began barking loudly. As soon as Alka opened the bedroom door, Tito dashed downstairs, and proceeded to the living room. He stood behind the front door and continued barking loudly. Alka turned on the light in the front yard and gingerly opened the front door to investigate. She was not afraid because Tito was with her. In any case, the second wire mesh door was still closed, so the person outside couldn’t rush in. Alka found a security guard standing beside the parked car on the driveway. Terrified and embarrassed by Tito’s barking, he explained, “I was merely checking whether the car was locked. My supervisor has told me that I should do that on my night patrol.” The step was implemented following theft of car radios from several vehicles on campus. Alka let the security guard go.
Alka tried to calm Tito down and tried to take him upstairs. However, Tito would not budge. He had to see for himself that everything was indeed in order. Alka had no choice but to take Tito outside. He circled the car, smelled it from all sides, went to the front yard, did a few of circles of the front yard, returned to Alka standing on the front veranda, wagged his tail gently, looked up, and told her that everything was fine, and that he was ready to go inside! Even though the campus residences were rather isolated, Alka never felt insecure during Tito’s ten years with us.
Tito was an inept guard dog during the day. Almost everyone who came to see us during the day was greeted warmly, with pleasant barks and tail wagging. Those who were afraid of dogs were frightened by Tito’s enthusiastic greeting. The more terrified they were, the more demonstrative Tito became to convey to them that he was delighted to have them as guests. This exuberant greeting sometimes created a comical situation. On one occasion, responding to the doorbell when Alka opened the door, she found her friend from Indore and her adolescent daughter standing at the door. They were paying a surprise visit. Not realizing that Tito was close behind her, Alka opened the wire mesh door to let her friend and daughter in. In an instant, Tito was all over them, circling around them, barking his greetings at them, and furiously wagging his tail in welcome. The daughter was terrified by Tito effusive welcome. In a flash, she leaped onto the dining chair and then climbed onto the center of dining table, while speechlessly motioning to Alka to restrain Tito. A crestfallen Tito was promptly marched off and locked in the downstairs bedroom till Alka’s friend and her daughter left.
Those who have a dog as pet frequently overlook the terror that an overly friendly dog can induce in those who are scared of dogs. Such terror-struck visitors were the most disappointing for Tito as during their visits he would be locked up in the downstairs bedroom. Over time, we got to know the people on campus who were uncomfortable with Tito. They would always let us know in advance before visiting us so that they did not have to deal with Tito.