B'town celebs inseparable from their dogs

Stars talk about what their dogs mean to them

Sanjay Gupta
His dogs’ names: Buddy (was called Budweiser earlier) and Yoda (the wise one from Star Wars)
“They give you unconditional love. It’s wonderful to have them around the house, especially when your kids are growing up. My son Shivansh was just four months old when we took him to Khandala, where my dogs usually stay. He took an instant liking to them and is the happiest when they are around. The best thing about dogs is that irrespective of what mood you are in, they are always there to welcome you. They will never sulk when you enter the house, though, of course, they may sulk later. When Anu and I divorced, they were our bond as she was so attached to them that she would continue visiting them in Khandala.”

Tusshar Kapoor
His dog’s name: Poshto
Tusshar Kapoor’s tiny little bundle Poshto is the owner’s pride, but a terror for guests. He barks at everyone who enters the Kapoor household and is extremely jealous of anyone who attempts a conversation with Jeetendra or Tusshar. In fact, he is notorious for trying to snap at guests’ ankles. Hence, friends are warned to keep a safe distance from Poshto. Spoilt to the core, he has his dinner with Jeetuji and keeps guard outside the bathroom door when the veteran enters it, even if it is 4 am in the morning. Of late, he has been transferring a lot of his attention and affection to Tusshar. The moment the actor starts to tie his shoe-laces to leave home for the office, Poshto promptly gets into the car. “He insists on sitting through meetings,” says Tusshar. The other high points of Poshto’s life are a drive in the car to drop off his masters at the gymnasium or then to fetch them from the airport.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali
His dog’s name: Happiness (pet name POPO)
“She was gifted to me by my assistants on one of my birthdays on February 24 and from that time every year, we celebrate our birthday together. I cut my birthday cake with her. She is the love of my life and comes with me to my shoots. If I am doing an item song with PC, then she wears a frock for the item song that day. She has to come to office when I am editing the film and will sit on my lap throughout. With her, it’s pure love and she will look at you and just wag her tail, or lick you or come and sleep in the same room. In the morning when I am watching television, she has to come there and sit on a sofa next to me. When I am leaving, she will come to the window and bark so that I have to wave her good bye. All my neighbours know my conversation with her. We both bark a lot. If I raise my voice above a certain decibel, she will come next to me and start pawing me. ”

Hrithik Roshan
His dog’s name: Puggy
“He passed away last year. And lived eight years with me. It was heartbreaking, but you have to accept the truth and remember the good times that you gave the dog and those that he was there to contribute to in your life. It gives you unconditional love. Language forms only 5% of the communication with another being. 95% is what we are unaware of and is the body language that will tell you more than what you can ever get with words. Dogs are a great example for human beings. What do they ask for? They only give. You can live even with a strange dog and give it love by being around him for just two days and that dog will not leave your side. So you can learn to give and receive from dogs. The lesson to be learnt from them is that to get love, you have to give it first.”

Arjun Rampal
His dogs’ names: Gangsta, Muscles
“They are both different individuals. The best thing about them is their unconditional love and whether you go for five days or months, when you come back, they jump on you at the door and love you as they missed you completely.”

Ajay Devgn
His dogs’ names: Koko and Koki
Ajay Devgn wasn’t a committed dog lover until June 2010, when he got himself an English Mastiff called Sher Khan. Once this pet came into his life, he was converted. Unfortunately, Sher Khan suffered a cardiac arrest and died when Ajay was shooting for Singham. The actor was devastated. Instead of promising himself that he would never get a pet again to avoid heartbreak, he went ahead and got two German Shepherds — Koko and Koki — soon after. The dogs are very striking and Ajay says, “They like to chill with me when I read the morning papers.” You will see Ajay subconsciously patting them occasionally with one hand as he leafs through the papers with the other.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya
His dogs’ names: KOKO and Junior
“They are closest to me. They will come and sit with me every morning, when I am having my morning tea. I sleep at night with the thrill that they will come and have their biscuits with me when im having my tea. Till a child is three years, you take your child in your lap and play. But dogs, even when they are 16 years, are kids for you. They surrender themselves to you and even if you tell them to jump in the fire, they will.”

Farhan Aktar
His dogs’ Names: Bonny and Bella
“Dogs are great companions for kids in the house. Children learn how to take care of someone and about unconditional love. You come back and share a relationship with another entity that is only about sharing love and happiness. If you treat them like a family member, the relationship is phenomenal. Each dog has its distinct personality and you can tell how they will behave and what they will like and not like. They teach you to become more compassionate. They also teach you about space. If the dog does not want to be with you, it’s not going to be politically correct but will just get up and go. And you let it go. And yet it continues to love you and when it needs love it will come back. The average life of a dog is not much as your own life span. So losing a dog also teaches you about dealing with loss.”