Every Black Dog has it's day

And a story from Jaipur:Going through a Shani Mahadasha? Or is it the Rahu and Ketu that are troubling you? Well, your neighbourhood ‘Jyotish’ might just ask you to keep a black dog. Blame it on superstitions but there has been a sharp increase in the number of households in Jaipur opting for a black pup, all because their astrologer has told them to. There has been a huge increase in the demand for black pups especially Labradors and Pugs over the past six months. Greater demand obviously means higher prices. While a Labrador pup cost about Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 six months back, it will now come for anything between Rs 6,500 and Rs 15,000. A cocker spaniel will set you back by Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000.But it is black Pomeranians and Pugs which are the most sought-after. A Pomeranian will come for Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000 and a Pug, which is imported from Thailand and Russia, for Rs 35,000. Astrologers feel the wrath of the Saturn is best avoided as it brings about a terrible phase in your life which lasts for either two and a half years, or, if you are very unlucky, for seven and a half years. “Saturn is a powerful planet and ... can make a king a beggar,” says Ganagaram Jyotish, an astrologer. Five of his clients have bought black pups in the past one year. Not everybody is willing to buy this line, though. G S Sisodhia, a senior astrologer in the city, claims these are all professional gimmicks. “What is to happen will happen. One cannot claim that keeping a black dog is a remedy to Shani Mahadasha.Like it or lump, every black dog has its day.