20 Comments
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Nadia Ghent's avatar

I sat through Christopher Nolan's whole, noisy, bloody, man-centric Odyssey, but when Argos died, I lost it.

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

Oh me too. Then I learned that Chris Nolan's working title for the screenplay was “Charley's Story,” after his dog Charley. So in a way, the Odyssey is really about a dog.

sujatha raman's avatar

This is such a captivating post . I too am a dog mama and feel the special significance of the bond

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

I'm so glad to have that bond in my life 💓

Adrienne Minh-Chau Le's avatar

A beautiful story weaved together with history and lived experience. Grateful the algorithm brought you to my feed today - maybe because of the dog named Dharma or because we're both publishing with Knopf. Anyway it's lovely to encounter your writing.

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

This is so lovely to hear, Adrienne! I’m also glad the algorithmic gods brought us together.

Geeta's avatar

This is so true: “kinship with a dog is worth all the grief that follows and more.” I’ve loved and lost 2 big rescues and we’re on our third, who makes me laugh every day. What a beautiful essay. And I’m so relieved Chutney doesn’t have cancer.

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

Big rescues are the best!!

Leigh Cypres's avatar

Beautiful ❤️

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

Thanks Leigh 💜

Royce Schreiber's avatar

Beautifully written Raksha. I too remember his parvo diagnosis. He is a miracle dog who was so lucky to find you and Sanjay who would do anything for him. Kinship with a dog encourages us to love without measure. I hope he has 9 lives with at least 7 left to go!!!!

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

Me too, he has had extraordinary good and bad luck! Hopefully the good run continues.

Emily Sinclair's avatar

It’s taken me an hour to calm down long enough to write you. I read remembering his early weeks, his parvo, his robust recovery and your joy and love for the big lug. Somewhere early in this piece, you refer to Chutney in past tense and I couldn’t breathe, but this is really your point: at some point everything and everyone we love will be past tense. I’m so glad that’s not today, though. PS What the hell with the first vet?

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

I thought about his parvo days a lot while this was all happening and figured we wouldn’t possibly get another miraculous recovery like that first time, but somehow we did. Something like it anyway. What luck. PS — I know, I want to sue him but I'm just too happy frankly!

Patrick Cottrell's avatar

i’m so glad he’s ok 🙏

Nicole Piasecki's avatar

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Priya Jain's avatar

Oh man, I am so relieved for you and Chutney <3

Raksha Vasudevan's avatar

Thanks Priya, us too

The Literary Animal Project's avatar

❤️ ❤️ ❤️