Shohini Majumder has four dogs, all as like as chalk and cheese. The first-born is Angel, a German Shepherd who lives up to her name. “She’s calm, caring, and obedient. She even takes my mother’s permission before going to play on the terrace,” says Shohini approvingly.

Angel’s daughter is Winnie who, far from seeking permission, often goes missing from the house, only to surface in the neighbour’s.

Next came Mili, a street dog whom the family had arranged to get sterilised. “But she developed an infection that made her hind legs lifeless. We brought her home to nurture back to health and never could give her up,” says the lady who runs a content writing firm.

Mili has recovered now and much of the credit goes to Winnie. “Winnie would force Mili to play with her and all that exercise healed her. My father even jokes that Winnie’s play-bites worked like acupuncture on Mili’s legs!”

Finally came Tutu, a puppy who the family found crying in their lane and adopted.

And now any guest to the house has to spend 20 minutes playing with the four dogs before so much as saying hello to the humans.

Passerbys get an earful from Winnie and her sidekick Tutu. “But they don’t mean to scare them away. They mean to invite people in.”

Mili makes a solo appearance Sourced by the correspondent

It’s only Mili who is moody in the pack. She decides if she lets you pet her or not. “Actually she’s gone through such pain and has had so many strangers pricking her with saline needles that she has a phobia about outsiders.”

And then there’s Angel who, despite being the first dog in the family, has never been insecure about the newbies. She doesn’t even spare a glance at barking street dogs when we take her for a walk,” says Shohini.

Walks are a much-loved routine in the family. “If I comb my hair or change my outfit in the evening the dogs know they are going out. Winnie will even bring her leash to me,” smiles Shohini, who feels it’s often the dogs who take her for a walk.

Her younger sister Rohini seconds that. “The other day Winnie was so restless on her walk that she ran, dragging me till I fell on my face,” Rohini grimaces.

And then there’s Angel, who goes to walk without a leash at all. “Once when I was walking Angel, the leash slipped out without my notice,” says Rohini. “When I turned back I saw Angel gone! I was panic-stricken and didn’t know where to search. But then I headed home and saw Angel had returned and was, in fact, waiting for me.”