out of the 7, 4 of them died. the other 3 were very healthy. 2 were brown, n 1 black. i tried looking for homes for them, but at that time, not many people were interested in adopting local breeds. luckily or unluckily, in sept 2005, when the pups were 6 months old, i got a reply to my ad. someone wanted to adopt the black female, and was ok with her being a stray!!! yippeeeeee i finlly managed to get atleast 1 of them a home, what i dint know at that time was, it would be the beginnig of a long sad tale.
since it was my first time with a dog, i called an aunty who would help me take the dog to lower parel( i m at vile parle). we took her first to spca, to get the vaccinations done and then took her to the factory where the guy was going to adopt. he named her chinky. he loved dogs, but was not able to keep one at home as his wife was not too comfortable with pets. chinky would b kept at factory initially, and then gradually, when the family members were ok with her, she would b taken home. i left chinky with a heavy heart (she is one of the most calm and quiet dogs), hoping that she has found someone to take care of her well. since she was the first dog, i kept calling him and asking if chinky was ok and if she has adjusted. it took only 3 days for chinky to make new friends, and learn toilet training. she was very friendly, and loved everyone at the factory. they used to get food for her from home, and the owner also got dog food, sticks, chewbones etc for her. i knew that i had done the right thing in getting her adopted, and was very happy. but this happiness was short lived.
one day, i had gone to attend a wsd seminar on treating sick dogs, it was a sunday, and i decided to check on chinky, as normally when the factory was working, she would be taken care off.that day, i decided to check on chinky as it was a day when factory would be shut, and perfect for me to check how she is kept. when i went to see her, i was in shock!!!! she was kept with the watchman. she went and sat at the place where she used to be tied. that area was covered in cement, and her hair also had a lot of cement on it, which she licked to clean! her food bowl was also lying outside. it had some milk and bread, and chinky was eating from it, the only problem was that the bowl was put there in the morning as her breakfast, and now at lunch time, it was covered with red ants!!!!!!!!!! chinky was eating stale milk and bread from a bowl full of red ants, my god what had i done.........................
i couldnt control my tears. that time i talked to the guy and told him that this is not what i expected to see. if he cant take care of her, she should be returned. he told me that he would take care in future and not ignore such things. i thought of giving him a second chance. i kept calling often, and would also go and check on her every 3/4 months. i kept guiding him to what care should be given, bathing, food, vaccinations etc. everytime i went, there was some or the other problem with her that i kept noticing. sometimes her white socks were green, from god knows some kind of infection or something, other times, she was kept in a conference room with ac on, but she was alone in a 5 x 8 feet cubicle with lots of files around her for company!
last may 2007, when i went to see her, i could not take it any longer. i wanted him to take care of her in such a way that i no longer needed to keep a check on her. it was not possible for me to check on her every few months, and come back with a nagging feeling that she being ignored. i told him that i cant see her in such a state and if he cant care, he shloud return her. he immediately told me to take her back, and i was on a new job, to find chinky a HOME. he did care and love chinky a lot, but it was not possible for him to spend time with her and care like we do for kids. she was given food, taken for vaccinations or treatments to spca, given a bath, but all this was done by the peons. how much is a guy working for you going to take care of your dog?
finally in oct 2008, i got mail from a girl who wanted to adopt chinky. she was in mumbai, and was a parsi. i was so happy, that someone is going to finally take her home!!!!!!!! farzeen and me, met at parel and picked up chinky. people there, including the watchmen, had tears in their eyes. those guys were loosing their night time company. i also cried. i didnt want to take chinky from the place where she had stayed for 2 years, but the conditions were just not good for her. on our way back, we had to cross the road, and chinky came willingly. even when the taxi door was opened, chinky jumped in and sat between farzeen and me. she was so calm even with a stranger(farzeen) that even she was surprised! chinky would keep looking out of the window and sometimes looked at us, but never did she bark or show any aggression or any other behaviour. she was an absolute darling! after reaching parle, the cab broke down, and we had to take a rick to reach malad. i was worried if she will jump out or misbehave, then what were we to do? but again, she kept sitting between our legs and watched cars and dogs go by, patiently. even if other dogs barked at her, she never responded. we finally reached farzeen's house at 10 pm, after almost 2 hours journey. chinky was welcomed by farzeen's mom and sister. chinky took a round of the new building and went home........... FINALLY CHINKY WAS AT HOME!!!!!!!!!
farzeen's mom had made chicken and rice for them. when chinky was given her share, she gulped down the chicken, and left the rice, and looked up at us asking for more :) this was the first time i was happy for her! i left their house feeling happy for chinky. i still kept calling to know about chinky, as i used to do earlier. but this time, every time i talked, i had a smile on my face :) chinky was being pampered. she would not eat food unless she sat on the sofa, and she would not eat if farzeens mom didnt feed her, on hearing this, my happiness had no bounds!!!!!!!!!!!
today, on holi, chinky completes 3 years, and we are celebrating her bday. i m taking a chicken cake for her, and will be taking a few pics which i will upload with this blog. i hope this is a happy beginning....................
CHINKY'S BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!!!
OUR BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!!!
CHINKY WITH HER MOM- FARZEEN
CHINKY WITH ME, SHE STILL LOVES TO COME AND SIT IN MY LAP :)
CHINKY WITH HER NEW FAMILY :)
after going there, i came to know of a few things, which i am really happy to share with all. chinky, sleeps with them in their bed. when granny goes for bath, or has left chinky and gone shopping, chinky takes one of her slippers, and climbs on the bed and sits there till she comes back home :) chinky also gets her breakfast in the bed! granny holds the plate while chinky has her breakfast, man is she pampered or what! when granny shouts at chinky for misbehaving, chinky gets upset, and dosent eat. then she has to be pampered and pataoed to make her feel speacial, and only then she will eat again!
i hope all strays and abandoned pets in the world get loving families!!!!!