Shri Nathji kept many
dogs as pet at different times in His life. Most of His dogs were of the Alsatian
bread.
The German Shepherd
Dog also known as an Alsatian is a breed of
large-sized dog that originated in Germany. They are generally between 55 and
65 cms at the withers, with an ideal height of 63 cms according to Kennel Club
standards. Weight is 30–40 kilograms for males and 22–32 kilograms for females.
The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to
1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog
developed originally for herding and guarding sheep. The German Shepherd Dog's
physique is very well suited to athletic competition. They commonly compete in
shows and competitions such as agility trials.
German Shepherds were
bred specifically for their intelligence, a trait for which they are now
renowned. Coupled with their strength,
this trait makes the breed desirable as police, guard, and search and rescue
dogs, as they are able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret
instructions better than other large breeds. The breed first gained
international recognition at the decline of World War I after returning
soldiers spoke highly of the breed, and animal actors Rin Tin Tin and
Strongheart popularised the breed further. As of 2009, the breed was the second
most popular in the US. Additionally, the breed is typically among the most popular
in the world.
Shri Nathji first dog
was Jacky. On the top is the photograph of Jacky with the entire Holy Family. The dog had become necessary in the house ever since the revolver
episode of August 9, 1948. It was a very special dog and appeared to be some
past devotee of Shri Nathji who had been re-born to serve him in this form. Shri
Nathji would dutifully go to feed the dog with his own hands, while the
children played with him. Jacky would behave differently with all the inmates
of the house. He would be very playful with the children, and behave like a
child before Mateshwari, while before Shri Nathji he would always behave with awe
and respect – as if he knew who Shri Nathji really was. His eyes would light up
with devotion every time he came before Shri Nathji. One day Jacky was stolen
and could never be found. Shri Nathji was greatly saddened by the loss of the dog
Jacky. It was like losing a member of the family.
Shri Nathji seemed to
know all about dogs. He would often say to HH Pran Nath and HH Priya Nath:
“These Alsatian dogs
are known as one-man dogs. The master should always feed his dog with his own
hands. Dogs are very loyal and can never betray their master even when ill-treated
by him. This is a quality that humans lack. No one can bribe a dog to be
disloyal to his master. Dogs are so affectionate that they cannot bear to be
separated from their masters. Englishmen used to shoot their dogs when they
left India, because they knew the dogs would not be able to live without them.
Shri Nathji often
told the story of the Emperor Jehangir who went to a Fakir, only to find his way
obstructed by a vicious dog. "Bar dare darvesh darbaan na baayad!"
the Emperor shouted from without, "there must be no dogs at the door of
saints!" And the Fakir shouted back:
"Baayad! Taake
sage duniyaa na aayad!
“There must! So that
the dogs of the world can gain no entry!" By the "dogs of the
world", the Fakeer meant those who coveted the world, those whose egos had
built themselves up in the midst of material possessions, those who had no
place for God within their hearts and were given over to vice and wickedness.
Shri Nathji also said
that, when the five Pandavas went to the mountain leading to the gate of
heaven, they all fell, one by one, except the eldest, Yudhistra, whose sole
companion was a dog. The gateman in heaven refused to allow the dog inside
although he said he would allow Yudhishtra. “However Yudhistra refused to enter
the gates of heaven without the dog. The gods were pleased with him. The dog
turned out to be Dharmaraaj in disguise, the god of Justice.”
Shri Nathji also told
the parable of the holy man who was returning after completing several pilgrimages
to holy places, from where he had earned a wealth of ‘punya’ – the spiritual blessings
for his good actions. He came to a desert and was soon beset upon by an intense
thirst. He found a dog in the desert, which was dying of thirst. As he stood
there helplessly, a group of pilgrims passed that way. The holy man asked the pilgrims
for water for the dog. But they had only a little water left with them and they
refused to give it to the dog. The holy man then said to them: “I will give you
the fruits of all the punyas that I have earned from my pilgrimages if you will
give water to the dog!” As he said this, God was pleased with him and water
appeared everywhere in the desert.
For as long as Shri
Nathji remained at Mussoorie he always kept dogs, mainly because the children
could not do without them. After Jacky Shri Nathji raised another Alsatian dog
called Blacky, who was an inveterate thief, and then there was Neelee the bitch
who was the most affectionate animal ever kept by Shri Nathji, and who waited
every evening with eagerness for the return of Pran Nath and Priya Nath from school.
Neelee, would be standing by Shri Nathji’s side, wagging her tail and waiting
for the children to appear at the bend of the road at Sarila Lodge.
After Neelee there was
the white Alsatian dog. White is considered a rare color in Alsatians. The boys
had fallen in love with it and named it Pluto after their Mickey Mouse comic
book characters. The dog was just a little pup at the time when it had been bought
at Mussoorie, and was so small that it had barely begun to open its eyes. Shri
Nathji seemed to know all about dogs and would advise that Pluto be given milk
to suck on cotton swabs so that it would think it was suckling its mother’s
milk. And the suggestion had worked beautifully. Punto was also taken to by the
family when they moved down to the plains in winters. When Shri Nathji and His
family were going to Jaipur, the driver stopped the car at a place for cooling.
Nathji and Mateshwari and the children also got down along with Pluto, a stray
dog came and attacked Pluto viciously. For a while it appeared that he had
almost killed Pluto, but Pluto recovered, albeit with a wound in his neck. But
Punto couldn’t recover. On the return journey, as the car proceeded on its way,
Pluto appeared to become more and more comatose until he became totally unconscious
and stopped responding. The car was stopped and the dog was carefully examined
by Shri Bhutt and the driver. Pluto had died. It came as a very great shock to
the children as well as to Shri Nathji and Mateshwari. Shri Nathji blessed the
dog. It had passed away at the feet of Shri Nathji and Mateshwari.
After Punto there was
another Alsatian, named Tiger, who became the constant companion of Mateshwari.
These dogs were all souls who had come to serve Shri Nathji in this form and to
have his love. It was to be their last birth in the cycle of re-incarnation. Tiger
had come with them when they came down to Malik Nagar and the boys could be
seen running around with the dog in the fields and open spaces that bordered
Nand Kishore’s house.
Tiger, kept
Mateshwari company all the time. He would sleep underneath her bed at night, and
remain with her either in her room or in the verandah, or any other place that
she would go to. Even though it was Priya Nath who fed the dog, yet he remained
loyal to Mateshwari alone and never left her side. Mateshwari always said Tiger
was some old devotee of hers come back in the form of a dog. When Mateswariji left for England, a devotee of Shri Nathji, Mr.
N.S. Gidwani, who was a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, offered to
take care of the dog and took it to his home where his daughter looked after it
with great love. However Tiger could not bear the separation from Mateshwari
and died soon after.
Much later Shri
Nathji had bought two little dogs; one was a Labrador. Shri Nathji had
especially gone to the house of a certain Nawab Jawed Ali Shah to purchase the
Labrador pup.
The other dog which
Shri Nathji brough along with the Labrador was a Bhotia dog. (On the right in the Photograph of a Bhotia Dog) This breed of Dog
in native of Bhutan and Sikkim. Bhutan is the origin of two breeds of dogs,
the Damchi and Bhutia. Damachi dogs are not able to survive well out side
Bhutan. But Bhutia dogs are hardy. This breed also become popular in Nepal and
the Nepalese brought it to the western Himlayas and introduced it to the
regions of Mussorie, when they were ruling, Garwal, Kumaoon and parts of
Himanchal. Shri Nathji started keeping Bhutia dogs since 1980. This tradition is still maintained by HH Priya Nathji. In this picture bellow, we can see HH Priya Nathji with his three Bhutia dogs, outside Savatri Niwas in 2010.
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