Dog in heat

The other day on my way to the college I saw this middle aged couple walking up the rather steep incline of a fly over. Both of them were thin and a bit worn out by the daily struggle of survival that the poor have to go through in our country. The husband was walking ahead and the wife dutifully followed a few steps behind with her head and face covered with the palo of her saari. Though it was around 10am, but it was already pretty hot in the sun.
Now the part which caught my attention was a dog. A thin brown, around 6 months old dog. The husband was walking briskly with the dog tucked up under his right arm. I didn't notice anything wrong with the mutt. Infact it was all grins, panting away nicely in the heat and seemed pretty happy with the arrangement.
I used to assume that love for animals is a hobby of the rich and the poor have a rather practical, symbiotic relationship with the livestock they keep. But this man with his dog in his arms turned that theory around.
To keep a pet and take care of it when you are well off and have a support staff is easy.
To keep a pet on your own, to feed it when you yourself look semi-starved, and to carry it around when it's hot deserves Respect!