But nothing sought, nothing gained so I started browsing to see if I could find a job as a walker or a pet sitter. No legitimate websites turned up so I gave it up as a lost cause. But the algorithm was watching and a few days later, a sponsored ad for a page called Collars turned up on my Instagram feed. It was a group that connected pet owners to dog walkers and it was calling for people who wanted to walk dogs! I registered and told my mom about how I had filled the form ‘just like that’ and wasn’t really expecting a call-back.

The next morning, I did get a call. The man on the phone said he was from Collars, He said that there was a client near my area—a dog owner who was looking for a walker. He said that the dog was a two-year-old yellow Labrador named Benz. I was taken aback when he said ‘Labrador’- I was being greedy and hoping for a Husky or a Golden Retriever. But I figured that it would be easier to walk a Lab as they are lazier compared to other breeds! So I said yes right away. The ticket: Rs 2500 for thirty minutes every morning.

Now here’s the reality check for the dream job. I had to reach Benz’s home at 8 am, so I would have to wake up at 6 am, not easy for a sleepyhead like me. I could bike to Benz’s society, but I’d spend all my earnings on petrol. Even though I wasn’t doing it for the money, I didn’t want to spend it all on fuel. Moreover, if I walked half of the way, it would only add to my work-out time. I’d park my bike on the eastern side of Lower Parel station, cross the station bridge, walk out of a lane, greet my friends -Hitler the cat, Lambu the dog and other strays along the way as I reached the main road. Then I would get into another lane that led to the building compound. In short, it would be a long walk, perfect to shed those calories!

On the first day, my dad dropped me at the main gate of the complex. As we reached there, all my excitement to meet my soon-to-be best friend turned into fear. I was standing amidst luxurious buildings and business parks- I never thought I would be tending to such a well-heeled dog! I felt poor. I wanted to run away, but I didn’t want to back down after reaching that far. I walked up to the security, made myself a pass and entered the lift. When I stepped out there was a deathlike silence, which made my heartbeat sound abnormally loud in my ears. Somehow I mustered up the courage to ring the bell of apartment 1104. And that’s when I heard it, an excited dog, barking from the other side of the door. Suddenly, all my fear turned into eagerness. The door opened, a giant appeared but a giant with a warm smile. And before he could say anything, a 70-pound Lab crashed past him and vaulted onto me! We did the two-step as I tried to regain my balance until Rahul, Benz’s human, took control of the cuddle monster. It took him a few attempts to free me. That’s how I ended up introducing myself to Benz before I could get a chance to talk to his human. I had a feeling that he understood what I was saying as he locked his gaze on me and bubbled with anticipation, waiting for me to grab his leash. 

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While I was touched by such a warm welcome, I wondered how I was going to handle a huge dog like Benz. To make matters worse, Benz’s strap was a thin retractable leash that I had never used before. I felt more in control wrapping leashes in both my palms, but Benz’s extendable cord was not meant to be held in the hand. It would slit my skin if the dog yanked it too hard. I was scared stiff, “What if I can’t keep up with his speed, or lock the handle on time? I could be dragged along in public, or worse, I could lose the dog! Would I be sued? Would I be able to live with the guilt after losing someone’s best friend?” 

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Benz had no qualms, he nudged me impatiently. I took a deep breath, fixed his leash and set out. As we got in the lift, I cornered Benz and stood in front of him on guard, blocking his way so he wouldn’t pounce on anyone. But he sat there calmly and peeked from behind my legs, as if he liked the shelter. I had a sense of relief; he seemed like a disciplined boy. “Perhaps it won’t be as hard as I thought”, I said to myself.

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And it wasn’t. I was supposed to take him to the parking area for his pressing needs and then a level up in the garden for his morning walk. I thought I would have to walk him outside on the busy dusty roads, so getting to walk in a garden within the building itself was a pleasant surprise. What was a nasty shock was Rahul telling me that I’d have to pick up Benz’s poop and throw it in the dust bins. That was my parking lot duty.  I was disgusted, I could never imagine myself doing such a thing! I used to always ask my Mom how mothers’ weren’t sickened by changing baby diapers. She always said that I would understand when I became a mother myself. I was a fool to think that I would never get into the motherhood business. Here I was, trying to figure out how to clean up the mess Benz had left behind. I’ll refrain from giving the details of how I did it, which would require an essay of its own because of Benz’s constipation issues! It surely wasn’t a fun venture, but oddly my motherly instincts kicked in right from the first day. A few days into the job and I was an expert in the task!

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My half-hour rounds with Benz would be the most refreshing part of my day, for many reasons. I’d get to take my morning walks in a beautiful lush garden, and I would have a happy dog accompanying me. As soon as we’d move out of the parking area into the garden, Benz would pull me to the first grass patch he saw and roll over. Once he’d start playing in the grass, he would not get up no matter how much I pulled him. I would then have to lure him with lies. “Look Benz, a squirrel!”. He would instantly be on all fours ready to chase the little creature away, unfortunately for him, there wouldn’t be any squirrel around. I would feel sorry for him so I would pretend to chase the imaginary being myself, turning it into a game of catch. Naïve as he was, he would fall for the same trap every single day with the same level of enthusiasm.

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I would sometimes call him a bad boy, either when he would do something wrong or just for fun. Even when he wouldn’t do anything wrong and I would merely tease him, he would feel guilty. Not knowing what he did, he’d gently offer me his paw again and again for a handshake, to say that he was sorry. He was a really expressive dog. When we used to be in the parking lot and he would be done with his poop business, he’d happily start running around in circles. He knew that I had to take him for multiple rounds only so he could finish that task, so when it was done he would act like a proud Mama’s boy, prodding me with excitement. When he had hard days, he’d just stay in his number two position and hold it, looking at me with puppy eyes. I would have to then go and help him clear innards. After experiencing the freedom, he’d again start trotting around wagging his tail.

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While on these rounds, we would get to meet two beautiful golden retrievers, Gucci and Miri. They would come to me to say hello while Benz would pull the leash to greet their human. I’d press the button on the handle, so the leash could extend for Benz to go as far as 10 meters. Generally, it would be a difficult task to control the leash from such a long distance without tripping anyone on the way. But Benz was a very well behaved dog, perhaps he had been trained. He understood the complications of walking him and tried to co-operate as much as he could. But there were a few occasions when he couldn’t contain his excitement and would go for the run. One was when he’d see his grandparents sitting on the swings. He would drag me to them and sit down, not willing to continue his walk any further. Other times he’d pull me to the bushes to rub himself against the twigs, destroying dozens of flowers on his way. It would be immensely embarrassing since we would leave a trail of flowers and leaves behind us and the gardeners would especially have to come to clean them up. I would try to stop him at times but mostly I would let him be, knowing that it was a fundamental part of his playtime. 

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The embarrassment from the destruction was nothing compared to how I felt when I learnt towards the end of my time with Benz, that dogs weren’t allowed to pee in the garden. No wonder people would stare at us when Benz marked his territory in every corner. I didn’t have any regrets though since I was going to be out of there soon, plus I wanted to let Benz gloriously pee on the trees at least while I was around.

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One evening Rahul requested me to take Benz to the garden for an hour since he had guests at his home. It was during my exam leave, so I carried my book with me and took him to the swings. We sat there peacefully, I studied while he gazed at the stars. That would be one of my best study sessions as far as I can remember, tranquil and quiet. There are several moments with Benz that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I taught him the stay command; I would make him wait at a spot while I moved far away. He would grow impatient with the distance but he wouldn’t move. Then I’d command him to come and he’d run to me and pounce for a hug or stick his face between my knees.

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I had to leave after two months of being with him because of my studies. Our last day together was heart-rending. As I sat down next to him waiting for the lift to take him home, I hugged him tightly and cried my eyes out. He innocently licked my face, wondering what had happened to me. He let me hug him for as long as I wanted, I must’ve grabbed him about 15 times that day, but he didn’t mind. When I took him home and handed the leash to his grandma, I asked her to take one last picture of us together. I sat beside him, smiled for the camera, then kissed him on his forehead and walked off. I thought about going to visit him many times, but his owner wasn’t very keen on it. So I stopped bothering him. I still hope to see him though, even after all these years. If I ever get a chance to work part-time, I will surely offer to walk him again. I know he’ll recognize me, and our reunion will be just like the first time we met, where he will lunge on me and I will let him.