Chasing Tails

On a warm summer Indian evening in late 1995, I learned two simple lessons in canine etiquette. My dog, a German Shepherd, was spinning around in circles, chasing his tail.
After the initial amusement of watching him spin, I decided to help out.
I held his hind legs and tail, stretched out so he could bite into it.  That's the whole point, right? Instead, the ungrateful dog cocked his head to one side and gave me a funny look, as if to say, "Mate, do you realize you're holding my tail?"

I let go of his tail and we settled down to watch the sunset in silence. The two lessons I learned that evening were:

• Let spinning dogs spin.
• All humans can learn the art of simple pleasure from watching dogs at play.

A year later, he suddenly fell sick and died. In my arms.