Coco's Dark Walk Path
My Pet Coco
Deepak Razdan
11 April, 2026
On his morning walk yesterday, Coco saw a Golden
Retriever who was also on his morning round. This was the first time he saw a Golden
Retriever, walking with his owner nonchalantly in his rhythmic gait. Coco has
seen a white Labrador and an Alsatian on his walks earlier. While the big boys are
always lost in their disciplined walk, the Belgian Malinois he has seen a few
times was once cheerful enough to say a close hello to him.
Coco’s worry on his walks is the stray groups who
sleep together and do not tolerate any outsider in their well-defined territory.
The large white bully who shows up often these days is among them. Their
objections come even if Coco is walking on the other side of the road under the
housing societies. Slowly, they try to come across the road, if the big bully
leads them.
Yesterday, the bully was in an aggressive mood and
showed his teeth while coming closer. Coco wondered at his attitude and wanted
to say hello. It took me some effort to avoid a close encounter between them. A
small stick I keep for these emergencies helped me ward off the bully’s attack,
although he was in no mood to retreat to his shelter in the Metro parking lot.
There is another group of strays, well-settled in the
small shopping centre behind the housing societies. This morning, Coco was reluctant
to come with me, as I walked towards a temporary milk stall to buy milk and
bread. Before I reached the milk stall, a couple of the strays sleeping in
front of the shops saw us. Within seconds, they gave a call to their friends to
rise to the occasion and challenge us.
Coco was surprised at the large dogs around him trying
to threaten and coming closer. I used the stick to warn them. They had seen
Coco earlier also. One of them, a female, had also tried to woo Coco. Slowly
they dispersed back to their sleeping spots. All day, they wait for dog-lovers,
who come and feed them at different hours.
These dangers make Coco’s walk a short affair. He has
to restrict himself to the pavement below the housing societies. His walk can
cover the two gates of the Mayur Vihar Phase 1 Metro station from a distance.
Coco has to finish his walk fast, lest some bully living under the elevated
Metro track come out for a round of the area.
During the daytime, if any threat comes to Coco’s
walk, it is visible and can be tackled with some effort. Early night, Coco
wants to go out after his dinner. At that time the pavements are dark because
of limited lighting. This can be dangerous because the bullies are not easily visible.
They are often out late evenings looking for left-over food thrown around by
commuters who buy snacks from temporary eateries on their way back home.
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