There was a time when Dalia Biswas would go for a wash and change her clothes if she was touched by a dog. But now that she is the “grandmother” of a Spitz, she has no qualms petting her, carrying her, and embracing her round the clock.

“It’s after I met Sweety that I learnt what true love is. The nicest of people have expectations from others, but dogs want nothing in return for being devoted to you,” says the EE Block resident.

Sweety was actually Dalia’s son’s dog. “He got her when he was posted in Alipurduar, but got transferred to Calcutta within a fortnight. Back here, despite my initial hesitation, Sweety and I hit it off like a house on fire,” she says.

A lot has happened since then. The pandemic, Dalia’s husband’s demise, her son’s wedding.... “My son and daughter-in-law keep visiting us but it’s the two of us who are always together,” she says.

Sweety plays with her favourite ball

So when Dalia cooks, Sweety sits outside the kitchen watching her; if she’s working in her room, Sweety’s still watching her.

The only issue with Sweety is that she refuses to eat. “I have to tie a bib around her neck and hand-feed. I have to sit her by the window and show birds and the like outside…just like I did to my son when he was little,” smiles Dalia. Feeding Sweety is such an ordeal that Dalia sometimes relays it to her friends through Facebook “live” and they have a good laugh.

The Spitz has a fan following in the neighbourhood too, where she goes for walks. Last month she even took a rickshaw ride to go pandal-hopping. “She went to EE, DL, and CK-CL pujas, and even there, kids ran to play with her,” says Dalia proudly.

She loves playing ball, makes adventurous dives to catch any ball flung in her way, and hates bath time. “If she sees me with her soap and towel she runs under the bed! I have to drag her out by her legs to get her out,” laughs Dalia.

Dalia was born in Bangladesh and moved to India after her wedding. “Previously, I used to frequent my hometown in Khulna, but ever since Sweety’s come, I have almost given up visiting my family there. I can’t bear to leave her and go. She loves me like no other and waits for me at the door till I come home to her.”