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We think there's no better way to end #InternationalDogDay than by narrating this little story of how @dimibluepooch came into our lives, made the club and its people his own, and taught us a thing or two about love. Seven years on, he still does.
When we moved into the BFS in 2013, his was one of the first faces we saw. White with the odd blobs of brown, he sat with one paw over the other. He was elegant and lazy and he knew it really well. We weren’t sure about his first touch, but he had to be a ‘Dimitar’ a.k.a Dimi.
He’d lazily wag his tail – just about with enough vigour to let us know he was happy to see us. He ruled the slope leading to the club offices, but knew well enough that the building was out of bounds.
That was until one morning, when he made his way up before anyone of us reached work. Lying outside the gaffer’s room, he was bleeding heavily and you could tell it was from a dog fight that he hadn’t won. To put it simply, Dimi was mauled and on the brink of death.
That he made his way up told us he trusted us to save him. We had to try. We scooped him up, put him in a car and drove him to the vet. We brought him back that afternoon and in an unsaid declaration, the coach, players and staff decided we would care for him and nurse him back.
The boys gave him their towels, the gaffer bought him a little red bed and he showed us that love could heal anything. Soon he was part of training sessions, attended meetings and cleaned up well for annual photoshoots. He even made it to the papers!
Going by the information we’ve gathered and a few calculations, our boy is 10-years-old. More old man than boy! He’s seen our birth, watched us win our first title at his stomping ground – the BFS. And then took it upon himself to guard the five other trophies we’ve brought home.
The boys love him and his legend has been passed on to the newer signings by the ones that have seen Dimi age with grace. He’s a big hit with the kids and still makes it a point to be pitch-side if they’re on it. On other days,he overlooks things from his base in the South Stand.
He's even seen three coaches at this club and he didn't have to try too hard to weave his way into their hearts and outside their rooms. He saunters up occasionally and sits by the door at the media room, giving us the best kind of break from all the clacking of our keyboards.
Age may be adding to his already long tally, but Dimi doesn't look like slowing down. Then again, he's tight friends with the skipper and we've seen them exchange notes!
To end this, in rescuing Dimi we got more than we gave. He's still as elegant, still as lazy, but most importantly, he's still Bengaluru FC.
