hidden image

Bob’s Banter by Robert Clements Blind Dogs and the Dog Farm..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
20 Feb 2023
The leader dog used the same fear tactic at every doggy election and moved from strength to strength using only this method.

Once upon a time, there was a dog farm, with many species of dogs in it. The dogs in the farm had won their freedom from foreign dogs who had ruled their farm for many years, and who ruled by using the ‘divide and rule’ method, causing a huge division between dogs who ate bones holding them between their paws and dogs who chewed directly.

The foreign dogs had been kicked out, through a ‘Quit the Farm’ movement but not before the farm was divided and some of the dogs who ate using their paws carved out their own farm, from the big farm and the others remained in the original farm.

For over fifty years the dog farm, even with a few upheavals managed to stay quite peaceably together!

But suddenly a new canine fostered himself as their ruler, using the old method, that the dogs who had remained and ate with their paws were slowly growing in number and would uproot the majority of dogs who ate directly. The ‘direct’ eating dogs, who still remembered the days of the partitioning of the farm, immediately grew insecure, and even though the ‘paw eating’ dogs were much more miniscule in number, grew afraid, and voted for the ‘fear mongering’ leader.

The leader dog used the same fear tactic at every doggy election and moved from strength to strength using only this method.

Meanwhile the reputation of the dog farm became worse among all the other surrounding farms. ‘Dog News’ a canine newspaper mentioned that the dogs in the farm were not allowed to bark, also that the farm had a lot of starving dogs. These news flashes were immediately refuted by the doggy leaders who instead created more rifts among the ‘paw eaters’ and ‘direct eaters’!

One of the dog colonies sent their investigative dog who returned and howled every night about ruthless tales of the doggy leader. The leader immediately put up sound barriers around the farm to prevent the ‘howling’ news from reaching the dogs in his farm.

This insulation method continued for many years, and while the two dog communities went on fighting about the correct way to eat, their leader dog, continued his destruction of the farm bit by bit, quite often selling tracts of land to business dogs he favoured.

The other dog farms scratched themselves sore wondering why the dogs in the farm couldn’t see what was happening to them and their farm, till one day, a giant light from the skies above shone on the farm dogs and the whole dog world realized that the dogs inside were blind.

They had scratched each other’s eyes out, and their leader dog, with only blind dogs under him, ruled like a tyrant!

His formula, ‘Give them something petty to fight about, then grab their liberty’

And the blind ones continue to fight, as the farm ‘goes to the dogs’..!

bobsbanter@gmail.com       

Recent Posts

Dr Randall Sequeira's arrest raises questions about the criminalisation of solidarity with Adivasi communities resisting mining projects. As a doctor who chose service over comfort, his case highlight
apicture Jubel D'Cruz
16 Nov 2026
From pioneering healthcare and education to the freedom struggle, social reform and nation-building, Indian Christians have contributed immensely to the country's progress. Yet, their legacy of servic
apicture P. A. Chacko
16 Nov 2026
Sonia Gandhi's Belonging offers an intimate account of a life shaped by love, loss, duty and political upheaval. It challenges the persistent myths cooked up against her while also reflecting on India
apicture A. J. Philip
16 Nov 2026
The US midterm elections offer India an important democratic lesson: political power is never permanent, and no leader is above public scrutiny. A strong opposition, accountable government, independen
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
16 Nov 2026
Uttar Pradesh is the Congress's ultimate test of national relevance. Rebuilding its fractured coalition, addressing grievances and negotiating credible alliances are essential if it hopes to regain re
apicture John Dayal
16 Nov 2026
India's political leadership has consistently avoided unscripted public debates, hiding behind parliamentary conventions. Rahul Gandhi's challenge to Narendra Modi revives an important democratic ques
apicture Jijo Thomas Placheril
16 Nov 2026
India's fisheries boom must translate into better lives for those who sustain it. Rising production and exports mean little when traditional fishers face mounting debts, climate risks and inadequate s
apicture Jose Vattakuzhy
16 Nov 2026
Adopted from Kolkata as a toddler, Italian nurse Ramona Tratter returns to her birth country to bring healthcare and hope to marginalised communities in Bengal.
apicture CM Paul
16 Nov 2026
There's a wonderful convenience to changing a name. You can invite the press, pull a cord and have a photograph of the job being done.
apicture Robert Clements
16 Nov 2026
From Serbia to Brazil, Israel, the United States and India, people are challenging authoritarianism, corruption, communalism and war. A global awakening is gathering momentum, with youth-led movements
apicture Cedric Prakash
09 Nov 2026