Purab Kohli

The only couch in Purab’s living room perpetually has these Basset Hound twins sitting on either side leaving just the ideal space a guest needs, to be enveloped by some doggy love pouring in from both ends. “It’s a usual sight” says Purab who explains how Tony and Bella occupy the two corners of the couch, making it look like a furry bracket that one is supposed to ‘mechanically’ fit into. With such an amusing beginning, Purab starts sharing some funnier tales of the little ones and here is what he has to say…
Getting the twins home…
Tony and Bella were just a few weeks old when Purab’s wife noticed them in the neighbouring building. It was a family of four, the parents and these two little pups but they looked like they needed help. “They were all in such bad shape with ticks all over and when we spoke to their owner, he justified his negligence by saying that he didn’t have money to take care of these dogs. We couldn’t bear to see the dogs suffer and so we offered to adopt the entire family,” tells Purab.
“Unfortunately, the mother dog was extremely unwell and couldn’t survive but the father dog found a loving home for himself in Dehradun, leaving behind the two naughty pups with us, who have now grown up to be our Tony and Bella,” he adds.
As different as chalk and cheese…

“Tony and Bella are poles apart. Tony is a typical chilled-out boy while Bella is the one who you need to be cautious of. Tony is a Labrador in a Basset Hound disguise while Bella is like a shrewd cat. Tony is much easier going while Bella has her own quirks. There are times when Bella wants to be left alone and you can’t dare to disturb her then. Tony on the other hand is this lazy lap dog who wants to sit next to you all day and get cuddled,” adds Purab.
Healthwise, Bella is gifted with an enviable immunity and unlike other dogs she rarely falls ill. While Tony frequents the vet’s clinic for a perpetual upset tummy which according to Purab is thanks to all the cardboard that he invariably munches on. “My wife is into making handicrafts so we always have these stationeries lying all around which Tony loves to rob. As a pup, he would love chewing cardboards which he now feels should be his regular snack. No matter where you hide it, it takes only a couple of sniffs for Tony to find it,” he laughs.
The good and the bad about the two…
According to Purab, Tony and Bella have the most expressive eyes in the world. “One look at them and you know exactly what they want to say to you.” One has to watch Tony sing as Purab gets started with his harmonica. With a typical hound howl, Tony matches the notes with that of Purab’s and Bravo!! …we have a musician and his canine companion performing together for us.
But one thing that annoys Purab is that his lazy pooches hate going out for their daily walk. “There are times when people think that I am traumatising the dogs because of the looks they give while being taken out for a walk. They completely hate it. It’s like you put their leashes on and they refuse to get up and if you do manage to get them out of the couch, they refuse to move their limbs… or to make things worse, at times, they get super charged up and then drag you all along,” he shares. After having tried and given up, Purab has now hired a dog walker for the two who religiously walks them.
Family bonding…

The family hierarchy is pretty much sorted here… Tony and Bella look up to Purab as their pack leader. While they fool around with his wife Yamini all day long, with Purab they are the ultimate obedient kids. Talking about emotional bonding, Purab says, “One thing I have noticed is that when they fall ill they need me around. Especially when Tony is unwell, his body language changes completely. He will tend to sit very close to me… almost like he is drawing some healing power from me.” Purab’s wife Yamini is very particular about grooming the two babies.
Purab and Yamini also have a beach house in Alibaug which undoubtedly is the most happening holiday destination for the little pooches. “They go completely crazy in Alibaug. They love running on the beach and looking at them gallop like horses, it’s hard to believe that they are the same dogs who laze around all day back home,” laughs Purab.
Some laughter spills…
On being asked to narrate one funny incident, Purab tells, “For some strange reason, Tony and Bella love the garbage bin. Tony, we can understand, has a fetish for cardboards, but given an opportunity, they can go completely crazy just as they did the other day. Yamini and I had just got back home from dinner and we found our living room in the most horrific condition ever. The garbage bin was fully toppled on the floor with Tony and Bella tossing the trash all over the house. From vegetable peels to other worthless junk … our living room had it all. But what was really funny was the immediate apologetic look that Tony and Bella had on their faces. They knew they had done something terribly wrong!”
Purab continues to talk about Bella who stuns everyone with her peculiar traits. Apparently she is a complete summer baby and so in the midst of a scorching afternoon, you will find her sitting right in the centre of their mini terrace like a typical babe sunbathing in style. Now that’s what we call “very ladylike!”
Taking care of their meals…
Due to Tony’s sensitive stomach, Purab doesn’t like to experiment much with the diet. Tony and Bella have dog food through the week and on weekends however they get a serving of homemade food which comprises of meat and vegetables. Bella loves fish while Tony prefers chicken. Actually if given a choice, Tony would choose carrots over chicken as he loves carrots like crazy. No wonder he is also called ‘Mr Karamchand’ (a detective on famous TV serial who loved carrots).
Parenting a pet in the true sense…
Having raised the twins successfully, Purab is now confident of his parenting skills. However, he does warn pet parents of a few things. “The most important thing for a pet parent is to thoroughly understand his pet. Every animal is distinct in his own way. One needs to understand his pet’s likes and dislikes and also have a good gauge of the pet’s temperament and tolerance level. For people who are keen on getting a pet home, I would advise them to have a word with a vet about which breed would be ideal for them and their households, as each breed has distinct characteristics that the family needs to adapt to. As a pet parent, I repeatedly harp on the fact that it’s you who has to adjust to what your pet demands rather than expecting the little one to dance to your tunes.” A profound insight for our readers indeed!