I woke up this morning thinking about Bobby, the mighty Dachshund, back home in Kerala. He stays with my brother and parents. We adopted him in late 2019. When I went to pick him up, I saw his mum and dad - both typical miniature Dachshunds, as they say. His siblings also looked typical: flat, long-bodied with short legs. But Bobby was different. He had long legs and a bit shorter ears. He didn't look like any of them, which made him stand out most wonderfully.

On our first vet visit and health checkup, people started asking -- "is he really a Dachshund?." When friends visited, they'd always question his origins. Their questions, though innocent, sometimes stung.

Sometimes, kids peek through our gate to look at Bobby. They tease him, saying he doesn't look like a real wiener dog. Bobby doesn't seem to mind - he just barks at them. Sure, he's more built than typical Dachshunds and has a somewhat intimidating presence when he's in alert mode. But when he's curled up in my mom's lap or playing with my brother, he's just our goofy, loving Bobby.

I did check with vets. It's the gene; it's nature, and we don't care what others say.

Watching Bobby rejoice daily with such confidence despite being different has taught us all something valuable. He doesn't waste time wondering why he doesn't look like other Dachshunds - he's too busy living his best life, whether it's pushing a stray cat into the household well (yes, it happened once, and we saved the cat) or chasing frogs in the monsoon season.

Speaking of unique personalities, here in Chengdu, we have another character altogether - Coco, our miniature schnauzer. She's a tiny little lady with enough attitude for three dogs. I'll share more about her next time.