The sweet and gentle Vaira holds a special place in Guhan Yap Kannan’s heart. It all started when he volunteered to foster this “lovable buffoon” for Voice for Paws, an animal shelter in the Klang Valley.
“Enter surprise number one: Vaira weaves his magic wand and presto… he bowls my mother over with his charm,” Guhan says.
The irony, Guhan explains, is that his mother is deathly afraid of dogs due to a past incident.
“Past memories flooding in and a few pouty innocent looks from the fella, and my mother’s heart melts and he clumsily slips into her life.”
Named after Vairavar, a Hindu protector deity whose animal spirit is that of a dog, Vaira was an exuberant six-month old with boundless energy.
Every weekend when Guhan made the trip back home, he’d be greeted by an excitable Vaira. “True to form, a shadowy figure would stroll up gleefully from the dark… pouncing, jumping left, then right… play biting, sniffing and licking.”
Sleepy and tired, Guhan remembers how annoyed he used to get on those occasions, thinking, “Dude, come on… give me a sec will ya… I just got back.”
But after being deprived of seeing the pup during the recent movement control order, Guhan realised just how much he missed those Fridays and Vaira’s warm welcomes.
Guhan says Vaira liked to purposefully stride back and forth, patrolling the front yard from unsuspecting cats.
“But if I were being truly honest, the fella is a goofy, clumsy buffoon. He trips over everything, slipping and sliding all over the place.
“And the way he runs… he’ll dart off with his upper torso tilting left while the back half veers right… leaving me thinking, ‘Is that even physically possible?’,” Guhan says.
Every inanimate object is also an object of fascination to Vaira. “Every weekend, it’s a note to self… ‘get a new pair of flip flops’.
Plants weren’t spared either. “Cannas, orchids, roses, daisies… have always brightened our yard. Along comes Vaira and, suffice to say, these petals now grace his path of destruction,” Guhan says.
Surprise number two: Guhan remembers waiting for his mom to scold the dog for ruining the flowers but was met with this remark instead – “such a naughty fella but so cute isn’t it?”
“Personally, I wouldn’t have gotten away that easily if I had plucked a few roses myself but her new bond is so strong that, I guess, love forgives all.”
Guhan says Vaira has a funny way of inviting other dogs to play. “Vaira will start from a crouching position… then almost hop and skip from side to side, circling his new friend, pure happiness bursting forth with every yelp and play bite.”
Despite all the mischief this goofy dog gets up to, Vaira always looks like a perfectly groomed canine, Guhan says. “He’s simply majestic with a longish regal nose that’s always covered in mud.”
Guhan says Vaira’s tail is always wagging, his ears always pointed up to catch the slightest rustle and when he sits on his hind legs, he exudes a dignified air of confidence, strength, loyalty and love.
“To me, his crowning glory has to be his eyes. They are just the right shade of brown; with such depth in each gaze and every pouty look winning him far too many favours.”
Guhan says that Vaira is by no means perfect but that he loves his dog with all his heart anyway. “The parts that make me laugh… the parts that touch my heart… even the parts that really, really annoy… all add up to this goofball that I love. Vaira is the perfect imperfection for us… a true beauty in my eyes.”
Vaira’s journey home would not have been possible without the imagination, determination and drive, bordering on obsession, of those who dedicated their time to helping these lovely souls find peace and love, Guhan says, thanking Voice for Paws for their relentless rescue efforts.
“I have spent time with many rescues and have started to wonder who the real ‘rescues’ are.
“Look into each one of their eyes, despite past hurt or disappointment, you’ll see the same relentless hope and unconditional love flowing from their core.
“There is so much we can learn from their direct, simple and honest love. So go do yourself a favour and get yourself rescued, just like me.
“If you do, I bet you’ll find yourself a best friend and your own furry piece of heaven,” Guhan says.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.