The Pup And The Plastic

Anyone who has tried tearing a milk packet with their teeth will know how difficult it is, much less drinking from the irregular cut it opens in the plastic packet.

Now imagine a puppy with milk teeth trying to open a plastic packet of milk.

I spied one roadside in Kalupur on Independence Day after stepping out of a shop with a water bottle to keep the two of us company on the three hour walk through the neighbourhood adjoining Swami Narayan temple.

The discarded packet held some milk, attracting the attention of a stray puppy that made getting at the milk its early morning task. 

It wasn’t easy tearing at the thick plastic given its grip was limited by unsteady paws. Waiting for the group to emerge from the temple, I waited, and watched.

I stayed away thinking the day (Aug 15) was as apt as any for the pup to exercise its independence.

But a female sparrow did not think it that way as it hopped into the frame before …..

….. hopping around the pup’s back to see how exactly the inexperienced pup was going about it.

I wonder if it came around to lend a helping hand nee beak. I doubt it. If the sparrow was smart it’d wait until the pup had opened a gash in the plastic before stepping in.

This is one reason to not package milk in plastic packets. Bring back the bottles that can be knocked over.

The milk bottles are long gone where I come from so I suppose it’s no use crying over spilt milk now.