A Tale Of Two Tails: The Love Triangle You Did Not See Coming!
In the sleepy neighbourhood of Gokulam, where street dogs hold the residents hostage (or so it seems), an unlikely love story was brewing. It was a romance worthy of Shakespeare, but with a lot more sniffing. On one side was Lila, a prim and proper beagle with ears as floppy as her morning routine.
On the other, there was Rusty, a rugged street dog who made a career out of charming the neighborhood yoga students for belly rubs and Parle G biscuits. Every morning, like clockwork, Rusty would trot down the 2nd Main Street to Lila's house, tail wagging and heart racing. Lila, in turn, would wait by the gate, her eyes sparkling like bacon grease.
Their courtship was simple but profound. Rusty would offer a bark. Lila would counter with an elegant “ruff.” He’d show off his best tricks—rolling in mud, chasing his tail, and occasionally howling at passing garbage trucks. Lila would wag her approval. It was pure, unfiltered canine chemistry.
Enter Daisy: The Plot Thickens
But there was one complication in Rusty’s otherwise perfect life: Daisy, his fiercely loyal girlfriend from the other side of the road. Daisy, an Indie mix, just like Rusty, with a glare sharp enough to break hearts, was not one to share her alpha. She had been watching Rusty’s morning escapades with growing suspicion.
One fateful afternoon, Rusty decided to take things to the next level. With the confidence of a dog who just found an unattended picnic basket, he leapt over Lila’s gate. He approached her slowly, wagging his tail so hard it could generate wind energy. Lila sniffed back, a moment so electric that the neighborhood Romeos collectively hissed in jealousy. Unfortunately, Rusty didn’t realize Daisy was tailing him.
The Showdown
From the shadows emerged Daisy, eyes blazing and paws stomping like a stormy day. Lila tilted her head, confused but not intimidated. Rusty froze, his tail dropping faster than a toddler’s ice cream cone. “What’s THIS?” Daisy barked, her voice echoing through the yard. “I turn my back for one squirrel chase, and you’re here sniffing Miss Snooty Snoot?” “It’s not what it looks like!” Rusty whimpered, though it was exactly what it looked like. Lila, unfazed, let out a single dignified bark, as if to say, “Excuse me, but this is my yard.”
“Oh, your yard?” Daisy growled. “We’ll see about that!” What followed was a barking match so intense it rattled the watchman’s nerves. Rusty tried to mediate, placing himself between the two ladies, but his efforts were as effective as a dog door in a hurricane.
A (Sort of) Happy Ending
In the end, Rusty slinked back to his side of town, tail between his legs and head full of regret. Daisy marked Lila’s gate in victory, a not-so-subtle warning to stay away. Lila, however, simply rolled her eyes and went back inside to enjoy her kibble, unbothered by the drama.
As for Rusty, he still visits Lila’s house—but only when Daisy isn’t looking. The love triangle continues, proving that even in the dog world, love can be complicated, messy, and downright hilarious. And so, in Gokulam, life goes on, with street dogs ruling the roost and love stories unfolding one sniff at a time.
— Mukta K Gupta
(The author is a freelancer, loacted in Mysore, Karnataka)