An uninvited guest took shelter at our home. A stray dog entered our garden by jumping over a diminutive garden wall. In one night, the canine gave birth to two cute puppies. The mother dog kept the puppies hidden behind bushes. It took us a week to discover the incident. It was the month of January 2024. Winter was at its peak. One of the puppies succumbs to the chill. The other one survived. My mother, a soft-hearted soul, was not able to throw the puppy out of the garden. There are two hostile stray dogs in our locality, ready to eliminate any competition. So my mother decided to let it grow under her watch until it grew enough to put up a fight.

But the puppy came out to be a bad-mannered one. It started sneaking into the house and loitering. It often litters the garbage. My mom tried to tame the unruly dog with stick.

The dog seems to be truly omnivorous. It lavishes on rice, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, and sweets with equal delight. It does not have the patience to chew food; it engulfs food so quickly that it is fasted for a long time. 

In the night, the puppy stays in the garden alone; it scratches on the door to enter the house. It always sits behind the back door for sneaking in at a half chance. Last month, a cyclone came to south Bengal. It brings rain and high-speed wind. The puppy was shrieking. So I let it into the house. It slept at one corner till evening. In the late evening, it started shrieking again. I let it loose, and it took shelter in the storeroom.

The lady dog comes often to check on her lad. The puppy barks loudly as it spots his mother. Once, the lady dog killed a rabbit and brought it to feed its child. The puppy used it as a pillow and slept on it. The next morning, my mother discovered the incident. She created a ruckus. My dad took the dead body of the rabbit and buried it in a desolate location. 

My parents scold the puppy all day long. But they love the little creature. My dad bathed the puppy regularly to save it from the searing heat. Medicine for worm infestations and skin worms is used to keep the puppy healthy. The puppy remained very skinny. In four months, it weighed only four to five kilogrammes. 

The new guest jelled well with my parents. It is very unlikely that my parents will let go of the guest. The guest may be uninvited but not unwelcome.