On Pets in Kolkata

Dear Becky,

I hope your summer is going well and that the server at the school hasn't crashed or that Mr. Marzolf, our superintendent, hasn't suddenly decided to order new computers for the entire district.
I have been very remiss in keeping up this blog, partly because I have e-mailed so much, and partly because my experiences seem less novel, less worthy of posting.
I will say that I have spent a little more time in people's houses this trip. First a visit to my friend Niladri's house where I was greeted by the ladies of the house who insisted I meet:

I was told in very excited Bengali that these cats are the center of the household; indeed they seem to have the run of the place. Most of the cats I've seen in Kolkata up to this point seemed to be steetwise alley cats, but these two fat cats enjoy their life of ease. Needless to say Nildari's relatives were eager that we should meet, even though I didn't speak Bengali and the cats didn't speak any English.

A dog's life seems to be little different in Kolkata than in San Francisco. Meet Brownie the beloved Irish Setter of Mitali and her family.

Brownie knows both English and Bengali and seems to be fluent in begging as well. She spent a great deal of time begging for Cheetos of which she got a few. Brownie loves to argue with her family about food and floor privileges, but in this heat, I can't blame her for sleeping all the time.
Mitali told me that Brownie was essentially a rescue dog, coming from a friend of the family who knew another family who could not keep her as they were moving away. She has the heart of the whole family and is a happy, vibrant looking dog. Unlike these strays

who look essentially the same, with color variations, which suggests a small gene pool indeed.
In fact, Kolkata has no animal control or SPCA to stop the dogs from breeding. Instead they are scavengers who help to clean the streets.
I guess I'm not terribly surprised to find out that pet owners are as nutsy about their pets in India as we are in the U.S. Pets make us happier, they keep good company, keep pests away, work as alarms and doorbells and footrests. I do feel a little shamed out that I'm not as bilingual as Brownie.