Laddoo was a pup who was black from the top of his little nose to the tip of his tiny tail. Six-year-old Riya was fond of laddoos and so, she named her best buddy Laddoo.
Laddoo loved to eat and he had a trick to get everyone to feed him. He would sit on his hind legs, wag his tail ever so slightly, and wear a poor hungry puppy look. It always worked and he repaid his patron with umpteen licks and scores of wags.
Laddoo’s mum, Kachori, was worried that all the food had made him roly-poly. He could not run as fast as the other pups. “Laddoo, you have to stop eating so much.”
“Why, mamma?”
“You will become very fat which is not good for your health.”
Love of his life
Laddoo tried, but he couldn’t stop himself. The smell, sight and taste of food made him crazy. His second love was playing with Riya, and then came chasing his tail. Whenever his tummy was full and Riya was busy, he would go around in circles trying to catch his own tail.
When Riya’s school closed, they spent the day together. Riya shared all the yummy dishes her mum made with Laddoo. At night, Riya had to drink a glass of milk, which she hated. One day, she got an idea and put the cup under her bed and looked at Laddoo. The pup knew exactly what he had to do. In a few seconds, the milk had disappeared. This made them both even closer, and Laddoo now got an extra portion with every meal. He was so busy with Riya that he had no time to chase his tail.
One evening, Laddoo was digging for a bone in the garden. Riya’s school had reopened and she was doing her homework. After some time, he got bored and wanted to chase his tail. He turned his head to the right to reach for it but couldn’t see it. He then turned to the left, but his tail was still missing. He put his head between his legs, but still no tail. Finally Laddoo tried to stand on his head and look for it. He tumbled over but couldn’t spot it. His tail had vanished!
In panic, he ran to his mother and jumped on her. “Mamma, my... my tail… is gone… What will I catch now? And how will I look – a tailless pup...” he howled.
Kachori laughed. “You tail is there. You can’t see it because your fat tummy and your big bottom come in between. If you want to see your tail and catch it, eat less and run more.”
Laddoo hung his head and nodded, as his mamma gently picked him up by his tail and licked him on the nose.