Oct 1999 - I think it was around the 30th that papa got him to Delhi. There couldn't have been a more grand entrance! Papa and his boss synced their official trip to Jodhpur with Tuff's 20days+ birthday so they could bring him back with them. Papa had many puppies to chose from, but this guy was the naughtiest of all and papa thought that was very cute! :) Tuff ran out of the house and the whole household went berserk trying to find him. Little did papa know that bringing-up this brat was going to be more than just a handful! :) So, they flew back in an Airforce transport plane with this 20-something day old golden lab retriever! :) Me, Nakul and Mummy were in Gandhinagar waiting for the school-year to end, so we could join papa in Delhi. I was just 13years old, he was to be my birthday present! :) Whenever someone asked whom I loved the most, I'd reply "My dog."! As silly as it sounds, till this date this has been the easiest question for me to answer.

My first memories of him are from when I went to visit papa and Tuff when he was two and a half months old. Papa had bought him a bed (something like a khatiya) that he found a better use of, by laying under rather than over it! :) Like in a den. He grew really big in just a few weeks and it was funny to see him all confused when he could no-longer crawl under the khatiya or sit in my lap! :) He was the naughtiest dog I had ever met! Could ever imagine!

I next saw him another four months later, when we moved to Delhi with mummy and Nakul. He had turned into this full grown lab-retriever, very huge! Tall like a retriever, fat like a lab! :) Afraid of the ceiling-fan cause he was a winter born child who dint get why something hanging from the ceiling had to be spinning all the time! :) He had an art, of making people like him! I cant remember a single person who met him and didn't immediately grow affectionate towards him!

We found that he was really dum, :-| cause he tried to go around being friends with every living being! May it be a cat/ parrot/ mouse/ cockroach(not kidding) or anyone! He dint care! If it moved and is alive, he wanted to be friends with it! :) He once growled at papa while protecting a wounded cockroach, when papa walked towards it to kill it! He also once guarded a mouse for a day and a half, that we had caught in a mouse trap! :) It was amusing to see how comfortable tiny two year olds were around him! How patient he was with them! It dint take him very long to become my one year old nephew's favorite person! :)

We later found out that he wasn't so dum after-all! He was a good looking, lovable guard dog! :)He was just 2years old when he guarded our house (Subroto Park) by growling like a maniac, speeding towards our entrance gate when he heard a noise late into the night! :) He demonstrated valor at many occasions when he protected me against the household help when he thought they were trying to harm me(Chanakya Puri) or against papa (always! :) ) when he yelled at me and when he chased the watchman mistaking him for the thief (It was an honest mistake, that watchman was the only stranger around our house.)! He was a true loyal member of our family!

He was a smart dog, not only did he learn all basic commands that dogs do, he became multilingual! He surprised us by understanding bits and pieces of English, Hindi and Malayalam! :) An example of how intelligent he was: He was trained not to enter the kitchen for hygiene purposes. Never was this instruction repeated to him even as we moved from one house to another, or even when he visited anyone else's house! :)

He became so popular amongst our neighbors that random people and kids would come pet him, spend time with him, even offer to walk him for the sheer joy that he spread around himself! I remember a time when kids referred to us as "Tuff-ki-didi" or "Tuff-ke-papa"! He was the most wonderful, most handsome dog I knew! :) We grew up together and he was probably the most important part of my growing up! Not many humans can love unconditionally, like he did!

He lead a very happy and wholesome life. We celebrated his birthdays and pampered him a lot! Talked to him! (he used to talk back!) :) Skyped with him when we moved to a different city! Flew half way across the world to meet him when he got very sick. Tried to make his last days as happy and memorable as possible.

I'm happy he left peacefully and did not have to suffer a lot. May my baby's soul rest in peace, we love you a lot my Tuffu baba! :) Ummahh.. Be happy wherever you are, visit us in our dreams and know that you will always be a part of our lives, your love will always remain with us.