Around last october ( 2007) i would pass a building almost near completion on my way to work. right outside the bldg, was an open gutter, where a dog had littered a lot of pups, i couldnt count them, but there seemed to be quite a few of them. i used to see thenm everyday, on my way to work, and tried feeding the mom, but she did not eat, and since she was a stray, i did not dare go near her. i was feeling helpless as i saw those pups in the dry drain, everyday, but could not do anything, as our indian mentality is normally to adopt a labrador or a gsd ( they say they want good bread dogs, dont even know how to spell breed, and still they want labs!)
one fine day, i got response from a girl, who was willing to adopt a local pup, and she wanted a FEMALE pup!!!!!!!! what a pleasant surprise, as normally a lot of people want to adopt male pups( just like human females are treated, same in dogs, atleast spare the dogs!!!!!!!!) so that they dont have to bother abot females coming into heat, and delivering babies, although now, it can be taken care off by sterilisation. i went to check on the pups, the next day, after i got a response from pratiksha, and i was in for a rude shock! there was no pup in the usual place, and no deaad bodies also. i went around asking the shopkeepers in front of the bldg, as to what happened. one of them told me that the workers in the bldg, had taken the pups and kept them safe. when i went to check on the pups, their condition was really bad, 4 out of 7 had already died, and these pups also would meet the same fate. they had opened their eyes, and were walking, mayb just a month old or so. one of them, had got an open wound on her tummy, and it was like a hole. the other 1, little blackish, was very still, and hardly moved. the only fellow who was little better, was a complete brown male. i wrapped them in a piece of cloth that the workers gave me, and took them to a vet. she saw their condition, and gave medicine. she poured ivermectin on the maggot wounds, and gave some vitamins. she was not ready to tell me if the pups would live for more than 1 week( the condition of the pups was so bad)
next day, pratiksha came with her friends to take a look at the pups. she picked the black, most sickly pup, who was hardly moving, and decided to adopt her. we later realised that the pup had got a maggot wound near her ear, and it was filled with moving maggots, and that was the reason that she was lying still, and not moving at all! still pratiksha took the pup, and i was almost expecting a call within the next 2 days, saying that the pup had not survived. surprisingly, even after a week, when i called her, she told me that the pup was alive, yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee if the pup had lived for 1 week, it would surely survive now.
how many efforts partiksha put in to make her COCO survive, i came to know of later. coco was taken to a vet, given a bath, to get rid of the fleas, which were all over her body, given medicine for the maggot wound, and some vitamins. maggots were coming out the next day, so were the fleas. one can only imagine the care that pratiksha took for coco, just to keep her alive!
as i write this blog, coco is 6 months old, sterilised and very healthy. i wish that a lot of people learn from a college going girl, like pratiksha, and adopt more of our local dogs. coco, is not longer a stray dog, she is a pet now!!!!!!
ONE MORE HAPPY ENDING :)
note- as for the other 2 pups with her, 1 of them died after getting crushed under a car, and the male has started roaming on the streets, sadly i could not manage a house for him.