Kazo’s walks

When enemies outnumber friends, an even temper helps

To the unfamiliar, Kazo’s walks are a routine affair, without novelty or danger. Little do they know about the perils he deals with. Being a good-looking golden retriever has some advantages. Luna and Coco – female retrievers – always meet him warmly. But the flipside is making enemies, who outnumber friends.

Danger is afoot even before the walk begins. The other two dogs on the floor – Taro and Jaro, who have never been friendly – come up to the door and challenge Kazo to step out and have a two-on-one. The sensible Kazo avoids direct confrontation and instead responds from the balcony as soon as they are in the parking lot.

The troubles are Rusty, the brown Irish setter, and Spike, a German shepherd. Rusty is able to spot Kazo from far. He wants to break free and have a go, but his handler takes him into the block, so that the boundary wall hides one from the other. The diplomatically astute Kazo growls but doesn’t let things come to a boil.

As for Spike, his handler takes him across the road when he sees Kazo, which helps because it would be foolhardy to consider Spike an equal. But the danger isn’t over yet.

The last stretch – the Mall Road – is where the ill-mannered rottweiler Puffy lives. Puffy once got Kazo on the wrong foot – right in the middle of the road since his owners often let him loose – but Kazo managed to escape unhurt. Every time he nears Puffy’s house, he takes a quick look, and when he isn’t around, goes near the gate and lets out a growl.

Then there are a few dogs who bark bravely from inside their gates, but Kazo doesn’t even lift his head. On the way he exchanges a respectful glance with a powerful Tibetan mastiff, known to take on even leopards in the mountains. He also passes by a Lhasa apso, hardly a few inches above the ground, who makes a desperate lunge at him, but Kazo steps away tolerantly. He prefers equal sparring partners, even if there’s no sparring to be done. Before returning home, he takes a round of the back lane where he meets cats. He is okay with them, and they don’t leave the path when he comes around. They mew when they see him, and he regards them with cool authority before returning home.