SHORT STORY: Hungry dogs understood our plight too

We shield ourselves from the tumultuous rain after it started raining tremendously on a Wednesday afternoon in our two-room apartment where we lived with our parents. 

We had just brought Brandy, the Caucasian Shepherd dog, to join Zino and Bruno, the two local dogs that we owned. Brandy’s former owner had just died, so his wife who’s our mother’s friend decided to do away with the dog because he reminded her of her husband. 

With fluffy white hair, black but plaid eyeballs, and with movement befitting a well-fed dog, Brandy is of a minimal size, full of life. When he was first brought, his look was obviously different from the other two local dogs. He would jump around and casually follow visitors without barking. He acted as if he was no stranger to our place. He settled real quick.

Two weeks into his stay in our house, we noticed that due to excessive gambling on the floor and dirt, his fur soon started turning irritating brown. Mom had told us that Brandy used to get his bath thrice in a week before but now that he was with us he had only been bathed once.

A few weeks after his entry into our lives, the once agile and playful dog soon became despondent and gloomy. Making terrible sounds in the middle of the night as if warding off evil spirits. 

The only cage we have was occupied by Zino, who was at the time pregnant, so, we would leave Brandy and Bruno in the open to sleep under an old and ragged table that was put there for no other purpose than to contain the dogs when there’s rain or excessive sunshine.

His hair soon started fading from ordinary brown to pauper-brown. He started losing his robust stature, with his bones revealed through the dog coat. We could tell that this was a result of the lack of food, whether luxurious or constant, he wasn’t getting it like he used to. Brandy used to eat bagels, cinnamon pies, cupcakes, and beans thrice a day but now his diet has changed.

We could only feed him with the foods that we eat. Not anyone in our family has eaten bagels or cinnamon pies before. During his first two weeks, we served him noodles and waste from frozen fish. After this, leftover rice, Semo, Yam flour, and Eba. Then, subsequently, we would throw bones from our dad’s plate to the dogs and whoever picked it first got to savor the bones but Brandy was usually slow.

Nowadays, it’s difficult to serve the dogs leftover. Things have become extremely expensive, a 1kg of cooking gas now sells for N1,500.  Mom said she now buys N500 Pepper for N1,000. She had said only the rich can afford rice and beans, with garri now fast becoming the food of the elite. 

People from the lower class like us find it difficult to feed ourselves. I have forgotten the last time I got new cloth. Dad had promised but years have turned into more years to buy a new TV and change the only couch in the living room, which has now become the Emirates stadium of rats, bugs, mosquitos, and other families of insects.

On most weeks, the dogs were only fed once or twice. Now, we cook cow intestines (tripes) for them. It appeared to be the only thing inexpensive on the market, yet we cook this once a week.

Cooking this had caused quite some rift between us and the neighbors, who constantly complain of the acrid and foul smell that always pervaded the compound when cooking the intestines. But we had no option, the dogs weren’t the only ones eating the intestines too. My brothers and I, my dad and mom are sharers of this sad meal. 

On the night of the second week of July, almost seven months that Brandy has been with us, we had finished cooking the tripes and I was sent by mom to go serve the animals their only meal for the day as late as 9:30 PM. Luckily for them today, we had a plate of Semo that had gone too soft for anyone of us to eat.

Not that we didn’t try to eat it but after separating it from the decay that had grown on it, the smell and the texture wouldn’t allow us, so we added it to the intestines to be served to the dogs.

As I stepped down the stairs to make my way to tender the food into the trays before them, I heard the dogs engage in a discussion:

Brandy: It’s late and we haven’t eaten any healthy meals today. (Sigh)

Bruno: Since when do we eat healthy foods? Have you eaten at all today? 

Brandy: We’ve been together here all day and you know that answer. 

Bruno: I noticed movements in our owner’s kitchen, we would probably get something to eat tonight. 

(Zino, who was in the cage at the back interposed)

Zino: I hope so. They aren’t even considering my condition. 

Brandy: I regret finding myself here. I wish I know my way back 

Zino: What should we say, (She looked towards Bruno’s way) when the only home we have known is here? 

Bruno: (faced Brandy and said in a comfy low tone) Things weren’t like this before. She can testify to that (he returned Zino’s look)

Zino: We used to eat thrice a day, all sorts of foods (she smiled slightly as if reliving those times; she got serious )but then jobs stopped coming in like before for the man in the house. 

The woman’s small provision shop closed up because funds stopped coming from the man.

(Brandy suddenly chimed in)

Brandy: What a slothful family.

(Bruno cut in sharply)

Bruno: That’s unfair of you to say. The nation’s economic woes are biting everyone and it’s not just this family. Should we start naming?

Brandy: You’re saying that from a subjective prism. There are families who still live in abundance. And only because they are not lazy and not at mercy of the government mismanagement. 

(Zino looked on as Bruno found it difficult to respond. Finally, she responded)

Zino: At least you both agree that there are economic woes as a result of government laziness. That I agree with.

Photo credit: Times of India