International Dog Day My companion Aura and I are at our happiest when we are together: She is Rashmika Mandanna

A dog is a man’s best companion; however, Rashmika Mandanna views her dog as a sibling. For the actor, every day belongs to her dog, with the exception of International Dog Day, when a confection is baked for Aura. Mandanna anticipates spending time with her two-and-a-half-year-old Cocker Spaniel. I believe that we are both happiest with one another. Her love is incomparable; she soothes me down. Every time she sees me weeping, she cries. When I return home, she exhibits the most agitation. If I have a stomachache, she sleeps on my stomach to provide solace. When she entered my life, it felt whole.

The unconditional love that pets, particularly dogs, have for humans is an emotion. Mandanna is familiar with the idiom “they are a part of your world, but you are their entire world.” She states, “A dog is like a loving individual. You are disciplined and made joyful by them. They are your allies in all endeavours. Often, Aura and I are inseparable, and it is amusing to see us together. Canines are notorious for following their tails. In our situation, my canine is my tail.

During the second lockdown in 2021, the Pushpa: The Rise actor brought Aura home from a shelter because she “really needed to find a little friend”. However, something about her appealed to me. I recall that when she returned home, she was so anxious. So I left her alone. I believed bearing her would frighten her, but after two hours she began approaching me. That was my first time holding her. It’s become a habit for her to prefer snoozing on my neck. She does not recognise that she has matured (laughing). This is the cutest thing ever.”

Mandanna recalls her first experience with a companion as a child, when her parents brought home a dog, and says, “I always had a dog at home. Mom used to say that whenever I drank milk, I would share my bottle with my dog. When he (one of her childhood companions) passed away, I stayed in my room for a month. Even as a child, I treated my dogs as my siblings.”

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