“What’s this mania for dogs?” an elderly man, who belongs to the affluent class, inquired of his companion, as they walked past us, exercising their limbs in quest of longevity.

I averted my face and continued my watchfulness over the nose of my tiny dog, who would win the Noble Prize for sniffing if such a contest is introduced in the years to come. That was the earliest phase of my adoption, or should I say purchase, of a white puppy that I found in a cage in some pet shop, very thin and unhappy-looking. Dogs are not mere pets in this part of the world. For the mercantile cast of mind, they bring profit just as weapons, drugs and women do, a sort of enslavement in my point of view.

Since her advent into my life, I have heard all types of disgusting things during our long and frequent walks. This is a hospitable nation but, for many, dogs remain anathema for religious and cultural reasons. She occasionally receives smiles and pettings but most of the time we are met with frowns. Some stop me wondering if they can ask me what profit keeping such a dog entails and when I answer none, they give me the sarcastic look. The efforts, exertion and expenditure involved in keeping such a pet is beyond their capacity to comprehend.

For others, the spectacle of a woman walking a white dog is a sign of affluence, for pets have become an indispensable accessory for the fashionable category. A very kind Franciscan nun once told me to get rid of it and instead adopt a boy, as if such a task was possible or even affordable. I could not respond by saying that her order was named Franciscan after Saint Francis, who was the patron saint of animals. One nauseating remark came from a group of security officers who were assembled to guard some gate. They were in my neighborhood so they knew what my profession was. Their audible verdict was that keeping such a dog decreases the value of an academic degree, meaning my PhD, with accompanying appropriate, vindictive sneers. I could not help grinning at the image of a dog sucking my intelligence with a straw. What a pathetic world! It goes without saying that there were other vulgar insinuations from men who assumed that my Lucia was a male. It took me a long, long time to figure out the meaning of those dirty looks. 

Some think that it is my singleness that prompted me to adopt a poorly dog. They believe it would alleviate my sense of solitude. I take Lucia out four times a day and this involves climbing five flights of stairs with the absence of electricity. The inflation has made even feeding a dog extremely expensive. She is also very stubborn and gives me trouble most of the time during our walks because she cannot be told. I keep her not because she is an “entertaining toy,” but because I would not abandon a friend in need for the entire world. I know if other people possess her, they would turn her into a breeding ground, bringing more souls into this callous world.