Sukhwinder's canine confessions

Singer Sukhwinder Singh is a proud new grandad. His Lhasa-Terrier cross-breed Sweety has recently delivered four pups. Sukhwinder now finds himself struggling to shower his attention on the eight dogs (he had three other Lhasa-Terriers). Here's what the singer has to say about his puppy love:



Furfect connection
I had fallen severely ill a few years ago. My illness affected me on the mental level and so I consulted my spiritual guru in Punjab who told me to keep a dog at home. He said that a pet would keep the negativity away from me, bringing me warmth and joy. I acted on his advice, and got Jojo. Slowly, my health improved and I got better.

We are family
I am extremely attached to Jojo, as he came in at a critical juncture of my life. Later on, I got a female dog as a companion for him. Every year I would give aways most of their puppies. Right now, I have Jojo, Toby, Sweeni, Sweety and four pups. When people ask me, "Aapke paas dogs hain? I say dogs ke pass main hoon. I live with them and not vice versa!"

I didn't bother much with their training; as a result they are total brats. My domestic helps make the bed for me to lie down; these guys occupy it and refuse to budge. I go and sleep on the mat or on the sofa. And when I get up in the morning, all of them are lying down beside me.

Emotional attyachar
We enjoy watching cartoons together. Dogs are like animated cartoon characters. But unlike cartoons, you can touch and play with them. My dogs are like my family. I have stopped going for long tours, because I can't stay away from them. Jojo, is the most possessive of them all. Funnily, he hates my singing. He barks the moment he hears me sing!

I personally take them to the vet for grooming. They eat what I eat. Since the time I came to know that dogs have a short life span, I have become very restless. Even if any one of them is slightly sick, I have a queue of doctors attending to them. And so, I'm looking to give the pups to a dog lover, who will love them they way I do.