Are you a Pariah Dog fan?

Tala - the "Nubian Hound"

2012-01-22T21:05:00.023+05:30

Several weeks ago Jura Cullen sent me some pictures of her Sudanese dog Tala.

Tala's immediate ancestors are street dogs of Khartoum, but being an aboriginal dog she must have had ancestors in the area long before that city was built...

I was of course absolutely smitten with this beautiful dog and started nagging Jura to send more pictures and her story for this blog. Here they are:

Tala is a Sudanese dog of rather dubious origins. Her grandmother has only one eye and still lives on the streets avoiding being stoned and still pumping out puppies at a phenomenal rate. Her mother was rescued by a Dutch couple and rather irresponsibly Tala's mother insisted on becoming pregnant before her first birthday...The Dutch couple then proceeded to host frequent dinner parties in the hopes that people would adopt the cute little puppies...Tala was one of the luckier ones and the first to be adopted (by us) as soon as she turned 8 weeks old.

Tala at just over 2 months

As Tala grew up she became more than just your average Sudanese street dog (although my husband may beg to differ). Her striking resemblance to Pharaonic dogs of ancient Nubia became clear as her ears went up and a lithe long-legged frame developed. Her appearance is similar to that of Basenjis (from Southern Sudan), Pharoah Hounds (Malta with Egyptian origins), and Cirneco dell'Etnas (Sicily with Egyptian origins). These breeds have changed little since early domestication and are known as 'primitive' dogs. After a visit to the Ancient Nubia room at the British Museum, I found a small gold statuette of a dog just like her from about 2,000 years ago. It became clear that Tala was a Nubian hound! Calling her a 'pariah' or 'street dog' simply wouldn't do such a regal dog justice...Now after doing more research it is amazing to see how all primitive dogs around the world share such similar features.

Joking aside about her origins, Tala has grown up to be a fantastic companion. She had a great puppyhood in Sudan and enjoyed frolicking in the dunes on desert trips out of Khartoum.

Above, below: Tala at 4 months on the dunes by the White Nile

Above: At the Nubian Pyramids of Meroe

Above: In the Sudanese savannah desert

From a very young age, she also got used to patiently watching us play polo, knowing that afterwards she would get to have a canter with the horses. Amazingly at only 6 months she could almost keep up with their gallop.

Above: Playing with another 'Nubian' puppy in the Blue Nile

We have now moved to Hanoi, Vietname where of course we brought her, despite many people suggesting we shouldn't due to the nature of the hectic city and the unavoidable fact that many Vietnamese eat dogs...

Despite all this she has settled in incredibly well. We enjoy long walks both in the parks and even through the ever-present sea of motorcycles, which don't faze her at all. The Vietnamese are always very curious about her and the growing middle classes are all very in to having various pure breeds, particularly Siberian Huskies which must be tough for them in summer.

Above: At a restaurant with French colonial tiles, Hanoi

Tala, while impeccably behaved when out and about in cafes, is at heart a very mischievous, playful dog who spends most of her time at home trying to steal socks and shred plastic bags. She also has quite a few of the primitive dog traits such as cleaning herself, standing on her hind legs to get a better view, and giving a lovely little yodel of happiness when we get home.

Above: Climbing up to see the view at the Citadel, Hanoi

Above: Digging a hole on a beach, Vietnam

Above: Tala with her friend, a Phu Quoc Ridgeback, an ancient Vietnamese breed

More from Hanoi and Sudan at http://juraphotos.wordpress.com

Text and photos: Jura Cullen
Sudan, Vietnam

Happy 2012!

2011-12-30T21:50:00.000+05:30

Mira

2011-12-29T16:36:00.009+05:30

Another happy-ever-after story! Beautiful IND0g-mix Mira was born in Kochi, taken to Delhi and then homed in the US through Knine Rescue .

Here's her story by owner Brittany Powell.

My partner and I had been talking about rescuing a dog for a few years now and kept waiting for the "right time."

I work at an art museum in Baltimore and he is an engineer. We live in the city about two blocks away from my office and there is a small park near our apartment that is always full of dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Every day I would look out of the window of my office and imagine walking a dog in the park, running together, or snuggling with our own dog.

We decided that we definitely wanted to adopt a pet from a rescue group or shelter and we found out about Mira through www.KnineRescue.petfinder.com We were enthralled by the photos of the adorable pups and didn't even realize they had come all the way from India. We worked with Chris Biscardi and after a few days we went to meet Mira and her brother Cappuccino.

With Chris Biscardi of the rescue organization

We fell in love with Mira instantly! She was super-energetic and at 12 weeks old she was very sweet and playful. She is the runt from her litter so she was a bit smaller and skinnier than her brother Cappaccino. But she is getting bigger everyday.

We didn't think that we would be taking a puppy home that same day and were not prepared. We walked into a nearby PetSmart carrying our new pup and said, "We need EVERYTHING!" The staff were super helpful and even gave us some tips on crate training, teething, and helping her to learn to walk on a leash.

Mira is a very fast learner and after just 24 hours she was getting used to walking on her leash, the sounds and smells of the city, and crate training.

Since I work so close to our apartment I am able to go home at lunch and take Mira for a walk and play for a bit.

About a week later she was totally crate trained and even started letting us know when she needs to go out by sitting by the door. At first she would bark or yelp when we would crate her, but now she knows that we are never going for long.

She already knows how to "sit" and we are working on other commands like "stay" and "come".

She is very very bright and we are thinking about working on training her to be a therapy dog. Dogs must be at least a year old to take the test, which consists of several commands and behaviour observation, but we think that she has what it takes to volunteer with Therapy Dogs International.

Mira is still a puppy and every day she is learning and growing, but she is also very sweet and loves to snuggle on the sofa or play with a toy.

She has been wonderful around other dogs of all sizes, adults/strangers who want to say "hi", and even children as young as three years old!

She also gets along great with our seven year old cat. She will snuggle on our sofa with my partner and the cat to take a nap!

She is certainly everything we'd hoped for and we are so excited that we were able to be a part of rescuing her. We love her very much and look forward to lots of exploring and new memories with her in the years to come.

Text and photos: Brittany Powell
Baltimore
USA

INDog-mix pups for adoption - Delhi

2011-12-29T15:44:00.004+05:30

An appeal sent recently by Shampa Dasgupta of SPCA Noida/Happy Tails adoption group.

I do not post all the appeals forwarded to me but that doesn't mean there are no pups for adoption. There are scores at any point of time!

Please go through the list of links on the right side of this screen. There are websites of many organizations and individuals who are working hard to get street pups adopted. You can make their work a bit easier by sharing their appeals every now and then.

From Shampa Dasgupta
Delhi

INDog Tommy is now a Therapy Dog

2011-12-27T14:10:00.016+05:30

Remember Tommy, obedience champion and Canine Good Citizen? You may have read about him in this August post.

Tommy was born in Goa, adopted by Monique Nerman and taken to the US, and is currently with her in Italy.

While in the US Monique not only signed him up in two obedience classes, she also enrolled him as a Therapy Dog.

I've been nagging her to write about it for this blog (thanks Monique!)

Here's her account of how Tommy entered this wonderful programme:

Tommy is now the proud owner of the "I am a Therapy Dog" badge and ID card.

What is a Therapy Dog?

"The primary objective of the TDI dog and handler is to provide comfort and companionship by sharing the dog with the patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions and wherever else the Therapy Dog is needed. This is done in a way that increases emotional well-being, promotes healing, and improves the quality of life for the people being visited and the staff that cares for these people.

"The volunteers in the program and the dogs who visit with those in care facilities do make a difference in the quality of life. Real therapy is provided between animals and people." - From TDI - Therapy Dogs International - presentation on Therapy Dogs.

TDI, the first Therapy Dog organization, founded in 1976 in New Jersey, USA, is a NGO and through them you can test your dog.

There are no schools to train the dog - it's very much a "you either have it or you don't."

Therapy Dogs are expected to give emotional support and compassion not only to their owners/ handlers but to whoever is in front of them. They need to have an outstanding character and personality.

To be able to test Tommy we had to take the Canine Good Citizen test and then on a very hot August day we had the Therapy Dog test.

Ever since I decided to adopt Tommy, I had had a feeling he would be a perfect Therapy Dog. Now was the time to see if he really was ready to do it.

The evaluator had us walk past food without touching it, not react to wheel chairs or objects being thrown on the floor, people hugging him forcefully, sitting on a chair next to a handicapped person and waiting patiently while being touched.

He passed all these tests and the evaluator joked that "of course he has to be used to commotion - he is from India!" So Tommy passed the test and then we went to the vet to get the veterinary certificate, and then to take a passport photo for his ID card.

Two weeks later I had found an assisted living center so off we went, with the bandana, the tag and the ID card, for the moment of truth. Would Tommy be able to handle the hospital environment? Would he be loving to complete strangers who were ill? And what was I supposed to do?

We met David and Miles, a very big field Labrador, who were going to be our buddies: they belong to Delta, another Therapy Dog NGO.

Our task was going to be to visit 25 rooms with two patients in each room. Help!

Miles and David helped us get started - four minutes in each room.

Tommy wagged his tail cautiously and looked at me with concern - but after a couple of rooms he got the hang of it and wagged with more confidence and bravely went up to all the patients on the "go say Hi" command.

He stood patiently by the wheelchairs and let himself be touched, didn't freak out by the oxygen machines or the amputated legs.

He really liked it when he had to lie on some of the patients' beds. Comfortably lay down, stretched and closed his eyes for a snooze!

After a few visits we became popular with the patients and we could hear from the halls "Are Tommy and the big dog here?"

The hardest thing is to not show how emotional this type of volunteering is. Seeing the smiles and the joy on the patients' faces and how Tommy understands the importance of what he does brings tears to my eyes.

I am so proud of my little INDog who just a few months earlier was living on the streets of India chasing cars and cows!

After leaving America we went to Italy, and started doing Therapy Dog visits in a day care center for adults with intellectual and relational disabilities (e.g. Autism and Down's Syndrome).

It's an amazing facility with so much love and hope. Tommy walks in to the center like a pro and understands at once that this is important stuff!

The patients know Tommy well now and try to teach him Italian.

One young woman who was scared of dogs and has speech and movement problems, was introduced to Tommy - and after one visit now spends time with him petting him and brushing him.

Tommy stands patiently next to her and doesn't move when she is next to him.

The other week Tommy was lying in the middle of a circle of ten people, stomach up, eyes closed and paws in the air, being petted and pampered by everyone.

This is an amazing way to help people. We volunteer one hour per week.

It shows that dogs have outstanding personalities and that they have compassion and so much love to share.

Tommy's job is to help people feel better and he really understands that he is part of something bigger.

I feel honoured to have him in my life.

Story and photos: Monique G Nerman
USA & Italy

Therapy Dogs International (TDI) - www.tdi-dog.org

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Kiba: his life and times

2011-12-25T21:20:00.024+05:30

Baby INDog Kiba has been with us for two months exactly. His age is now three months.

I really meant to write about him much earlier, but the problem was choosing which picture (out of hundreds) to post.

My final shortlist is 31...obviously way too many for one post. Here's a random selection. Still a photo-blitz, but please bear with his besotted shutterbug bore of a mom!

Above: Soon after arrival, 24 October 2011. He weighed 1.7 kilos.

Above: The first day

Above, below: The day after adoption, the games begin. Kimaya was initially nervous of him, but she soon got over that.

Above: Trophy - a fallen leaf from one of our teak trees

Above: Doing the patio steps on his own on his second trip to Nagaon. When we adopted him he still couldn't gauge distances or depth so we used to carry him up and down.

Above: Meeting with Brownie. A very important occasion. Brownie marked many sofas and curtains after this historic event. He's never done that before and I'm rather hoping he won't do it again.

Above: Kimaya, Brownie look into the middle distance with noble expressions. Kiba looks only at the dried leaf he is guzzling. Noble expressions appear later in INDogs.

Above: Between six and seven weeks. His first collar! Also the day of his first distemper+parvo combo vaccine.

Above: Ears lifting...

Above: Play bow. They both love tug games. Kiba invites Kimaya to play by picking up one of his toys and wagging it about in front of her. Several toys have been dismantled and unstuffed during their tug games. These are some of the few that have survived.

Above: They love each other, they really do.

Above: The blue giraffe was still intact when this was clicked, but it's kind of prophetic that you can only see its head in the picture. Because some weeks later its head, body and insides were all separated from each other with surgical precision. Like Humpty Dumpty it could never be put back together again.

Above: Nagaon, 30 November, 9 weeks old

Above: 5 December - one ear up

Above: Snarls and growls

Above: This morning, 26 December. The right ear has been up since yesterday, with just a little bit still to firm up near the tip. Is this a noble expression, or am I just partial?

Above: I made goat-noises at him to get this expression.

How he was adopted:

We wanted a companion for Kimaya, but this time I was determined to adopt a highway pup or a village pup. I make a lot of road trips and there has rarely been even one on which I didn't see road-kill. I wanted to take at least one dog away from that dangerous life.

Since INDogs have seasonal synchronized breeding during the late monsoon months, winter is "puppy season" and there are dozens of little ones all along the highways. On 24 October Kiran, Kimaya and I were on our way to Nagaon when we saw a brown nursing female standing next to a modest roadside shop, one of those shacks that sell biscuits and potato chips. It was right next to the Alibag bypass road.

I hopped out of the car to ask the shopkeeper whether the dog was his, when another nursing female appeared, a black-and-tan one this time. The shopkeeper said they weren't his but he was feeding them and both bitches had kept their puppies in a sheltered space next to the shop.

I saw nine pups; the man said there were 14 in all!

Though I prefer females I had to take a male because Kimaya doesn't get on well with females. (Lalee of course was an exception because she was senior and the leader; Kimaya loved her).

I chose a plump light brown male and took him to the car. He was fast asleep and didn't wake even when picked up.

He really looked too small to take away from his mother, so at first I suggested to the man that I could pick him up a few days later on our way back to town. But he and his assistant almost begged me to take the pup at once, and I can't blame them: they were just a few feet from a busy highway. Moreover it was Diwali week, when panic-stricken dogs often dash onto the street and get hit by cars.

The pup looked just about one month old, perhaps a day or two short, so we decided he must have been born around 24 September.

Luckily he could eat soft mashed up solids. Obviously he had never fed himself before, but he learned in a few seconds how to do it. The next day our driver picked up puppy formula milk and vitamin drops from the vet and came down to Nagaon on the ferry, so Kiba didn't have to wait for those.

He was named after a character in the anime series Wolf's Rain. I read that kiba means "fang" in Japanese. And it goes well with "Kimaya" and "Kiran" (the last being the husband).

Of course he has all sorts of silly nicknames as well. A recent one is "Pizzpot Gargravarr." Yes, toilet-training has been a challenge, but we shall overcome in the end.

Kiba has also been a movie star from an early age, so expect a video-blitz sometime soon. But be warned: there is lots of gratuitous violence.

Over to some other dogs now!

Here's an earlier post on adoption of highway dogs.

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INDog at Hampi

2011-12-19T17:16:00.002+05:30

This beautiful picture was clicked by Kirti Chavan on his recent trip to the ancient temples of Hampi. This was (very appropriately) at the Hanuman temple.

You can see some more "temple dog" pictures through this earlier post.

Photo: Kirti Chavan
Hampi,
Karnataka

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Jaamu needs a new home

2011-12-19T17:05:00.007+05:30

This pretty young mix-breed needs a new home. Please help him by sharing this appeal widely.

From his owner Irina Kharbanda:

"We live in Delhi. We`re going out of India and for legal reasons we`re not allowed to take our dog along. It`s in Australia`s policy that no animal is allowed to enter the country from India (http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/countries/cat6?name=India ).

We got Jaamu 2 years ago. He was 1 month old. My husband picked him up on a highway, else he would be crushed by trucks.

He is our family member. He is a non-vegetarian dog and enjoys his chicken very much. He is a naughty, lovable, active and healthy dog. Jaamu likes to run around and to play a tag game. Balcony is his favourite place at home. He likes to bathe in summer. He is absolutely fine with people, never ever bit or attacked anyone, but he becomes very excited and aggressive towards strange dogs. He is okay with puppies and grown-up dogs, if introduced properly.

Health stats: vaccinated, neutered, age: 2 years.

We really would like to give to someone who is an animal lover, will be able to understand Jaamu`s character and make him a happy dog."

Please contact +919873714674 – Irina Kharbanda, +919540331624 – Amit Kharbanda

irinakharbanda@mail.ru

Irina Kharbanda

Delhi

Dogs of Cambodia

2011-12-08T11:35:00.008+05:30

These pictures were taken by Gautam Das on his recent visit to Cambodia (Kampuchea).
In South East Asia these dogs are called Kampong Dogs.

They live in exactly the same way as free-ranging INDogs here, in villages and cities.

I noticed the free-ranging dogs in Cambodia when I visited the Angkor complex back in 1998, but sadly I didn't click any pictures. There were many with short legs around Siem Reap, a mutation Colonel Das also noticed. Check the last picture here, of the short-legged puppy.

I have known a very few dogs like that in Mumbai, though it's not a common mutation in this part of the country at least. I don't think they were mix-breeds as most people assumed.

Many cats in Cambodia (and probably elsewhere in the region) have an interesting mutation as well: their tails are short with a stump at the end.

Earlier posts in this blog about Kampong Dogs:

South-East Asian Pariah Dog,
Puppy in Ipoh,
Dogs in Sarawak,
Ipoh dogs
Malaysian pups

And here is an interesting post from Lam Chun See's blog about Kampong Dogs.

There are many pictures in this blog of indigenous pariah-type dogs from different countries. Go to "Topics" and open "aboriginal dogs" and "long-term pariah morphotype."

If you've been reading this blog for some time you'll know that Gautam Das is the person who coined the name INDog. You may have read his article The Indian Native Dog in the INDog site.

If you haven't yet looked at the INDog site, drop everything and do so now!!

Photos: Gautam Das
Cambodia

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Some Indy calendars for 2012

2011-12-08T10:40:00.003+05:30

Indy lovers are spoiled for choice: lots of beautiful calendars to choose from for the coming year. I saw quite a few posts on Facebook about calendars produced by NGOs around the country. Here are just a few.

Contact and order details are provided below each image.

Please help these groups in their adoption efforts by ordering generously!

Red Paws Rescue

Red Paws Rescue has launched 2012 puppy calendars to raise much needed funds for our puppies. The calendar features all the Indian puppies we have rescued from the streets and those adopted by loving families. Each calendar is only for INR 250. We can send the calendar to anywhere in India by courier (additional charges) and if you are from Delhi you can pick them up from our office in South Delhi. If you are interested in buying one or more please give us a call on 9958866067. Pictures of the calendars are attached with this email. Please forward this email to your friends and family to help us!!

AAIDD - Adopt An Indian Desi Dog

AAIDD has homed over 100 Delhi street pups in Canada.
Click here for the calendar order page. This calendar is available in India and overseas.

World For All

WORLD FOR ALL'S DESKTOP CALENDAR features photo shots taken at the ADOPTATHON, Mumbai's first large-scale Adoption camp for Indian breeds. It was visited by 1500 people and around 105 animals were adopted followed by 20 animals at the Hangover. The Calendar will be priced at INR with a delivery charge of INR 50. To order a calendar or more, call 9820001506, 9820191321.

Payments can be made in cash, cheque or bank transfer:

Cheque in the name of "world for all animal care and adoptions".
Post to Taronish Bulsara; Takshila 15A/21. Mahakali caves road; andheri east; Mumbai 93; (tel 9820001506)

World For All Animal Care And Adoptions is a registered non profit organization. All

proceeds are directed towards needy animals, being 80G certified our respected donor/

sponsor will receive tax rebates for the amount.

Kiba

2011-12-06T13:06:00.005+05:30

Introducing our INpuppy Kiba.

We picked him up on the Alibag bypass road, very close to Nagaon, on 24 October.

He was just about four weeks old at the time, but it seemed riskier to leave him there than to take him home.

Kiba is ten weeks old now. His ears have been lifting for some time, and yesterday the left one finally went up.

It's tough to get good pictures of him because he's rarely still except when sleeping. But there are some nice ones with Kimaya. More in a later post.

Mumbai

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Nimbuu

2011-12-04T16:14:00.006+05:30

This extremely sweet puppy with extremely large ears (and eyes) lives in Bangalore with owners Rheea Mukherjee and Arun Nagarajan.

For those who don't speak any Indian languages, her name means "lemon."

Nimbuu was adopted from an organization called Lets Live Together.

"We wanted to adopt an Indian pup since it made the most logical and emotional sense," says Rheea. "Once we made the decision to have a dog in our house, we knew we should adopt one. There are so many on the streets, it was time to take a step and make sure a pup got a safe home."

Nimbuu is now three and a half months old and has got chubbier since her adoption three weeks ago. Look at those beautiful INDog eyes! She's going to be stunning when she grows up.

Photos: Rheea Mukherjee
Bangalore

Indy portraits from here and there

2011-12-04T14:25:00.007+05:30

INDog lover Karnika Palwa sent in these pictures of some special desi friends. The red one is a particularly good model, isn't she?

Above: Hot dog on table - Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Above: Let's play!
Zaheerabad, Andhra Pradesh

Above: Talk about a catwalk...
Zaheerabad, AP

Above: One for the studio, please

Above: Caught in a game

Above: Reliving the old friendship

Photos and captions: Karnika Palwa
Zaheerabad AP, Bhopal MP

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La dolce vita

2011-11-24T14:36:00.004+05:30

Lazy moments.

To do her justice, Kimaya is not a lazy dog and much of her day is action-packed. But when it's time to rest, she does pick the best spots.

A dog's life as they say...

Photos: Rajashree Khalap, Shonali Laha

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Lost dog Danny - Rs 30000 reward offered - Delhi

2011-11-16T15:45:00.002+05:30

Danny is a female Indian dog, 2 years of age, who went missing from Sector B, Pocket 1 Vasant Kunj at around 6 pm on Sunday, 13th November, 2011. Danny has only one eye (the right eye). She is very friendly but also extremely scared and incapable of fending for herself. She has a brownish-red collar on and a yellow tick collar as well. She has been sterilized. If you see her please call 9810505620 immediately.

A reward of Rs 30,000 is offered to anyone who can help find her.

Thank you,

Regards
Ashwin
Delhi

Pups for adoption in Delhi/NCR

2011-11-16T15:43:00.001+05:30

Sharing an appeal that was forwarded to me recently. The pups are in Delhi/NCR.

We are family

2011-11-15T14:48:00.009+05:30

This picture was posted in our Facebook INDog Club and I couldn't resist sharing it here too. Winter morning scene in Delhi!

Photo: Shikha Aleya
Delhi

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Mia the Black beauty

2011-11-09T17:25:00.010+05:30

Gorgeous, independent, super-intelligent Mia, described by her lucky owner Snigdha:

Our dog's name is Mia.

My husband Bapoorau and I adopted her from the SPCA in Visakhapatnam in June of 2010. She was born some time in May 2010 making her 18 months old right now. She was brought into the shelter along with her mom and three other siblings.

Her mom belonged to the watchman of an apartment building who pretty much disowned her when she had the (rather out of season) pups. I think people complained and then the SPCA was called in. Mia was the only pup to survive.

Her mom is still at the VSPCA.

The people at the VSPCA told us how happy they were that we were adopting her because they were sure that a black female dog would never get adopted.

Anyway, right now we live in Tamil Nadu, Mia thoroughly enjoying the 18 hour car ride from Visakhapatnam.

She's the first dog that I've ever had; growing up, my family were big cat-lovers. I always thought of dogs as rather silly, as I think a lot of cat-people do. But needless to say, she has now firmly found her way into my heart and I can't imagine life without her.

She was really the most adorable little puppy, very healthy and full of energy.

We had read somewhere that the secret to toilet-training a dog was to lavishly praise them when you caught them in the act. So whenever we would see Mia peeing we would tell her she was a very, very good girl. And because she so smart, any time she did anything naughty (eat books, hide cell phones, steal socks, attack house-plants) she would run straight to the garden and pee! It was impossible to yell at her, she got away with anything.

I love the fact that Mia doesn't really listen to me and has a big spirit all her own. She can be a noisy dog, with an intense dislike of our water delivery boy but she is mostly warm and affectionate. She loves to play her version of fetch which involves her prancing in front of you with a ball in her mouth but not letting you take it from her.

She is wonderfully behaved when we take her out to public places, to such an extent that I can hardly believe it's her.

I suppose like a lot of dogs, she loves to sleep on her back with her legs in the air, chase crows off the roof and eat corn off the cob.

She brings so much joy and wonder and laughter into our lives. I really don't know how anyone can live without a dog!

Photos and story: Snigdha Ehm and Bapoorau
Chidambaram
Tamil Nadu

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Coffee

2011-11-08T22:55:00.005+05:30

Presenting Coffee, a very handsome Indy-mix belonging to Meena and Nolin Chitnis. He's new on this blog but you can see his images and videos on our Facebook Indog Club Page.

Coffee was born in Pune. Nolin went there to adopt him after seeing his adoption appeal on Facebook. He was a one-month old puppy at the time.

Since his adoption he's been living with Nolin and Meena in Thane.

"Coffee keeping a watch on Meena who is taking a nap nearby," writes Nolin of this picture. This is at their beach house in Gujarat.

He's obviously a very alert watchdog, and he's also proved to be extremely tolerant of little pups and young dogs.

The perfect dog in fact - like most Indies!

Photo: Nolin Chitnis
Gujarat

Kangal

2011-11-08T12:58:00.011+05:30

These pictures were taken by Nutan Khalap (my sister-in-law) on a recent trip to Turkey. Kangals are not dingo-pariah type dogs, but they are still an ancient breed apparently developed without much human intervention, so I'm posting some pictures here.

I just love these huge gentle dogs. We saw a couple in Stellenbosch in South Africa at the Cheetah Outreach centre. They are being used in South Africa for non-lethal predator control, as they are known for their ability to protect livestock from big cats, wolves, jackals and other carnivores.

I've read that Kangal numbers are declining with changing lifestyles in Turkey, so I didn't really expect Nutan to see any. But she asked around and got to see and click them in a couple of places (one of them near Troy). Thanks Nutan!

You can read about Kangals on the net. Although they are sometimes considered the same breed as the Anatolian Shepherd Dog, they are in fact distinct as true Kangals are all from the Sivas province of Turkey. Here is one of the pages about the breed.

Photos: Nutan Khalap
Turkey

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Highway pups and village pups need good homes too

2011-10-31T11:46:00.007+05:30

It's very encouraging to see all the adoption efforts of NGOs and animal lovers in big cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi. But I'd like to put in a word here for the dogs who get no attention at all: highway and village dogs.

The majority of free-roaming dogs in India definitely belong to this category.

While city dogs nowadays have at least some access to welfare services - medical care, good food, vaccination, neutering and adoption - highway dogs have NONE.

Dog populations in large cities will perhaps reduce over the years through neutering programmes. But there are no welfare programmes for highway and rural dogs, and there may never be, since animal welfare activities in India tend to be urban and small-scale and will probably not expand much in the near future.

You will see dogs all around India if you make road trips, at roadside restaurants and shacks, toll booths, petrol stations, grimy garages, garbage dumps, just about anywhere they can get food. You will also see lots of roadkill, mostly dogs. Put the two together and make a guess at the average life expectancy of a highway pup.

With highways being widened and improved all the time, more people using them, more restaurants and shops mushrooming along the roadside, and more garbage, the plight of these dogs will only get worse.

If you are looking to adopt, do consider the option of travelling two or three hours out of your city to look for your future pet. It's "puppy season" right now since INDogs have a seasonal breeding cycle. You are sure to see many nursing females; just hop out of the car and follow any one that seems friendly!

The faraway wolf

2011-10-30T19:28:00.007+05:30

An Indian Grey Wolf we saw in Velavadar National Park two weeks ago.

There were three wolves visible beside the wetland, spotted from a distance by our eagle-eyed guide Allarakha. Earlier in the day we had seen a single wolf resting in a meadow, surprisingly close to blackbuck and a nilgai (blue bull).

Read the earlier post Brother Wolf for an account of my wolf sighting in July. That was in a fairly remote area in the Little Rann of Kutch.

Sadly one can spot Indian Grey Wolves only in remote or protected areas nowadays, because they are widely persecuted thanks to their predation on livestock. Since their wild grassland habitats are shrinking and wild prey becoming scarce, they have little option but to prey on domestic animals like goats, sheep and calves. And in retaliation they get killed.

I can't resist posting this poem about a wolf, a lamb and a human, from "Archy and Mehitabel," one of my all-time favourite books. Brilliantly captures the irony and hypocrisy inherent in the human attitude to wolves. Hope you like the poem as much as I do.

Velavadar National Park
Gujarat

Please do not use content or images from this blog without permission and acknowledgment.

At Nicole's

2011-10-30T13:43:00.014+05:30

Two weeks ago Kiran and I passed through Ahmedabad on our way to Velavadar National Park, so we dropped in at Nicole Poyyayil's and finally got to meet Shalini and Somu!

You can follow their stories through this earlier post.

Both dogs were really excited about meeting new people. There was lots of racing around the garden and kicking up of mud!

After playing with the dogs for a while we went for a walk to one of Shalini's favourite routes. It's a path beside a canal; a picturesque lane bordered with bushes and trees, where Nicole has spotted interesting local wildlife including a Bengal Monitor.

Then back to the house for a truly delicious lunch and a play session with Rakhi the kitten; after which the dogs finally sat still for a bit so I could take some photos!

Shalini poses at the window

Somu suddenly pops up at the window sill

Above, below: Beautiful Shalini

Somu enjoys a belly rub from Nicole

Trotting in the garden

Above: Gladiators! Can you see Shalini peering out from under Somu?

Both dogs are impressive diggers. You can see their work all over the garden. Here they are working on a new project!

We couldn't even see the bottom of this hole. Didn't I say they're impressive?

Nicole and Vinod, thanks for a lovely afternoon. And Shalini and Somu, it was great to finally meet you!

Ahmedabad

Please do not use photos or content from this blog without permission and acknowledgment.

Could people please ask for permission before using pictures from this blog?

2011-10-24T20:40:00.005+05:30

First the good news: the media have covered the topic of noisy crackers and their effect on animals several times this season. I hope this will lead to a quieter, less traumatic Diwali for dogs and cats.

The not-so-good news, for me at least, is that one of these newspapers has used a photograph from this blog without acknowledgment or permission. If you've been following the posts here you might recognize the dog in this article. She's my lovely old girl Puppy who died in January this year, and the source of the photo is this post from November 2010.

Probably I should just feel pleased that more people are visiting this blog than I had previously imagined, that my photography is more widely appreciated than I had imagined, and that Puppy is "modelling" for a cause even months after her death. But funnily I am not feeling pleased at all. Apart from the issue of courtesy, Puppy was my family member though to others she may be "just another dog." I would have given permission if asked; what's so difficult about asking?

"Proof that good intentions and good manners don't go together. Feeling does not justify stealing!" as my husband remarked. I couldn't have put it better.

The Mer-dog

2011-10-23T17:23:00.003+05:30

Early October: the monsoon is receding, the sun is out and we are finally back in the sea!

Nagaon

Temple dog

2011-10-20T21:22:00.003+05:30

An INDog sleeping in the Biligiri Rangaswamy temple premises, August 2008. I was visiting the BR Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and went to see the ancient temple on the last day. Couldn't resist clicking this sleeping beauty!

More pictures of "temple dogs" in this earlier post. There's a picture in this post of a temple dog in Kutch, and here's one of a temple dog in Bali.

There is of course no rule or ritual demanding a dog's presence in Hindu temples; no doubt they live there for the handouts from pilgrims and priests.

Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple
Karnataka

Portraits of Tansy

2011-10-20T20:08:00.007+05:30

An update on Tansy, who shifted from sunny Goa to the UK nine years ago. Read her story here.

Owner Adele sent some recent pictures of her.

Tansy is an INDog-mix, and though her coat was always a bit longer and silkier than an INDog's, she was by no means the fur-ball that she is today. Have a look at her quarantine photos in the earlier post to see what she looked like at the time of adoption.

Her long coat is obviously a reaction to the colder climate she lives in now; but I know of another case of a mix-breed dog growing a long coat after adoption though he continued to live in Mumbai. I'm talking about my own dog Bandra. Read about him here. It seems a stressful life can also prevent a dog from growing its full coat.

Enjoy these Tansy moments, and thank you Adele and all other owners in this blog, for giving these dogs such a wonderful life!

Above: Tansy spots something...

Above: Tansy in a field of yellow

Above: Tansy and Adele

Above: With Adele in the sunset

Above: With her blue dog toy

Above: My pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

Above: I've won third prize!

Above: Aren't I beautiful?

Above: A little ballet

Photos: Adele Carroll,
Lymington, Hampshire
UK

Bandu passes on

2011-10-20T19:13:00.004+05:30

And now for the sad news I didn't have the heart to post before.

My sweet brindled friend Bandu died in August, of a neglected maggot infestation on the head.

On my last visit to Tadoba (mid-September) I stayed at the MTDC lodge and of course I looked for him soon after arrival. One of the lodge staff told me what had happened.

He had the wound for about ten days, and it had become really huge and he had became weak, and finally he had died in the garden quite close to the dining room. The boy pointed out the spot where Bandu lay down for the last time.

I told the boy maggot infestations can be prevented if turmeric powder is applied on the wound right from the start; that maggots can be killed with kerosene if nothing else is available -

But my words fell on deaf ears. "It had rotted too much," was the boy's only response. His tone had the calm finality of many rural uneducated people, who firmly believe they have far greater medical knowledge than we city folk do.

There wasn't much point continuing the conversation. Many people in these villages neglect even their own diseases and those of their family members, so the thought of medicating a dog probably seems outlandish to them.

If a wound is in a place the dog can lick, they usually remove the fly eggs and maggots by themselves and heal up without help. But head and neck wounds are the fatal ones.

My poor friend died in pain, which is probably the fate of many dogs who fall prey to screw-worm flies in these remote areas where vets are inaccessible or largely inactive.

But at least he was treated kindly while he lived, and fed well, and given a nice place to stay.

My memories of Tadoba are inextricably linked to my memories of this gentle dog. He was there every time right from my first visit in January 2008. I don't know whether I want to stay at the MTDC lodge any more. I'll wait till it's time for my next trip and then decide.

You can see some pictures of Bandu in these earlier posts: there won't be any more.

Moharli,
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

Lucky, crime-buster Indy

2011-10-20T17:54:00.004+05:30

Remember brave Lucky, Amit Parmar's crime-buster Indy? Here's his first post in this blog.

Here he is showing off his INDog Club membership tag!

And here's a video of Lucky and Amit's other dog Buzo engaged in a race + gladiatorial combat!

Look at him run - that's how he chased the burglar, and would have caught him too if the crook hadn't managed to escape on a motorbike!

Photos, video: Amit Parmar
Mumbai

Anjuna Two

2011-10-02T21:09:00.040+05:30

From Goa to Germany - Anjuna's story by Marlies Meister:

My first INDog found me in November 1995 in Goa. I called her Anjuna One.

She was about six weeks old and sick. I asked an Indian family to feed the little dog, because I had to go back to Germany.

In April 1996 I flew back to Goa. Anjuna was in a very bad condition, but with the help from a vet in Mapusa who could give her the right medicines she finally got better and two weeks later I could fly back to Germany with Anjuna One.

A year later she was healthy. She was a very special dog, very confident, proud, and big in personality. We called her "Princess of India."

She died on December 2^nd 2006 in a tragic accident in Anjuna, when we were there together on vacation.

It was a very sad holiday and in mid-December I flew back to Germany.

I left Anjuna's crate back in Goa. I wanted to look for another INDog to take back to Germany on my next visit to Goa.

Above: Anjuna One the day before she died

The day before Anjuna One died, a small unwanted dog was born on a beach in Goa.

An English tourist brought the little dog to IAR (International Animal Rescue) in Assagao at the end of December 2006.

I flew back to Goa in March 2007 thinking to fill Anjuna's empty crate with an unwanted INDog puppy.

As soon as I had landed and rested I went straight to IAR to look for a new four-legged companion.

I saw a very skinny and sick puppy looking at me and felt in love immediately. It was a little lady. To me it was Anjuna Two.

The staff told me that no-one knew what was wrong with her, she didn’t want to eat, to drink, to walk, was just too weak to do anything.

I wanted to take her. After doing the paperwork I got a lot of different pills and medications, and had to come every day for infusion. But her condition didn’t get better. One step forward, two steps back. She was so sick and I felt so helpless.

Above: Anjuna Two, two days after being taken from IAR

After ten days I was thinking of bringing her back to IAR. It seemed to me impossible to bring such a skinny and sick dog to Germany.

But who would like to take her? No one wants to adopt a very sick puppy.

I was thinking and thinking … But it seemed to me like a sign that she was born one day before Anjuna One died.

I was struggling to give her all the medication; she was struggling to stay alive. I wanted to do the right thing… and decided to bring her to Germany.

I had no documents and Anjuna Two had no vaccinations because of how ill she was.

The airline was the biggest problem. Puppies…not allowed, sick animals… not allowed. But I wanted to try to get her on the flight. It was March 22^nd, the day of our departure. The airline was informed that I was returning home with a dog. I put lots of sarongs and lungis in the crate, one could only see her face. We passed the screening and I had to take her out of the crate – no problem. Check in – nobody had a look at my dog – except the “foreigners” flying back home.

That took a load off my mind. I said to myself if she survived the long flight then she would survive. And I was so happy that she was still alive when we reached Frankfurt airport!

We had to pass customs and I was asked for Anjuna Two’s documents. Sorry, but I didn’t have any documents.

I was told that there are three ways to handle it: back home to India, put to sleep or quarantine. What a question … quarantine!

I had to sign some papers, was informed that Anjuna Two had to spend the night at the animal station at Frankfurt airport and would be picked up by an animal shelter from Ruesselsheim, where all confiscated dogs and cats are brought for quarantine. I should call the director next day. I travelled home alone.

Next day I received a call from the Department of Environment and was asked to approve to pay for all costs at the quarantine station – so I did. Then I called the Director of the animal shelter at Ruesselsheim and talked to this lady about my dog Anjuna Two.

I was told that they would pick up Anjuna Two in the evening. We talked about Anjuna's severity of symptoms, medication in India, bad conditions and so on.

The animal shelter wanted to do a big blood check immediately to see what was wrong with Anjuna Two. I was told if I would like to see her I could come and visit her whenever I wanted to. That was so kind and I was very happy.

The day after was my first ride to Ruesselsheim to see my puppy again. As she was so skinny and small she was living in a cat house (3 sq m), could leave her house through a cat door to make her pee-pee, and go outside (10 sq m). Very comfortable lodging and lots of toys to play with. Anjuna Two was so happy to see me and fell in a deep sleep the moment she was in my arms. The Director informed me that they already had done a major check on her.

I got the results three days later: Anjuna Two was still alive! She was suffering from Babesiosis, also called dog malaria. Dogs get infected by a tick bite and it leads to death quite soon. Babesiosis destroys all internal organs. She had already received an injection called Carbesia with Imizol.

Four days later I could see my puppy – and what a difference!

She was eating, drinking and playing. Later I could walk with her outside in a separate area, where two tigers would live after being rescued from a circus.

Above: Day 12 at the quarantine station

Above: Day 29 at the quarantine station

Anjuna Two got all the required vaccinations and could leave the quarantine station on April 25th.

Above: Day One at her new home...and very tired

A Babesiosis check-up was required four weeks later by my vet at home – the vet gave us the “all clear” and finally our new life together could begin!

Above: Day 3 - No sandy beaches but green meadows and new friends teaching her how to catch mice

Above: Five days in freedom

Above: Ginger, Sunanda and Anjuna Two

Above: June 2007

Above: One year later - April 2008

Above: December 2009 - lots of new friends

Above: November 2007 - back in Goa after eight months, and fit for fun

Above: January 2011 - travelling to Goa every year

Above: Goa, November 2008

Above: Goa 2009

Above: March 2008

Above: February 2011 - New friend at Candolim?

Anjuna Two is a very special dog. So was Anjuna One. She is very confident, proud, has a real personality to her, but not a “Princess” like Anjuna One. She is just like a dog!

I love to travel to Goa with Anjuna Two as I did with Anjuna One. She has all the needed papers to travel to Goa and return back home to Germany. She seems to be very relaxed on our journeys by plane, car, train, Tuk Tuk or boat. I don’t know if she would like para gliding!

It is great to watch her recognizing all her friends on the beach. She is walking proudly, waggling her tail, saying “Look at me, I have a Green card.”

She likes sun and sandy beaches, but also green meadows and snow!

Above: End of the story with snow!

Story and Photos: Marlies Meister
Mannheim
Germany

Lady Rani needs a forever home

2011-10-02T16:55:00.008+05:30

From Sara in Delhi:

This is the story of Lady Rani, a stray desi dog aged between 7 and 9 years, who was living on the streets of Delhi , lucky enough to have survived all these years.

She was staying in a very busy street in South Delhi, fed by good Samaritans passing by and slum dwellers living on that same pavement.

Rani was happy, even if she did not have a shelter on her head, she had freedom and enjoyed watching cars and people passing by.

Till one sad day…It was late in the night, Rani was sleeping in the street as usual, when a speeding car hit her without stopping. Rani was screaming in pain, and 2 animal activists passing by at that very moment rescued her immediately bringing her to an animal shelter nearby.

Rani had a fractured leg, the vet put a bandage on it and decided to keep her in the shelter until she recovered.

She was put in a cage with 2 more dogs. Rani was a wise dog and adjusted to her new environment immediately.

The days were passing and Rani was still in that cage, her leg not healing at all…

I was paying Rani visits regularly and decided to help her as she didn’t seem to be recovering in the shelter. I brought her to my vet who sadly stated that it was too late, her leg would not heal anymore, she had to live with 3 legs for the rest of her life now…

I could not put Rani back in the street, it would have been too dangerous, and didn’t want to bring her to a local shelter to finish her life either…So I decided to foster her until she would find a caring home who would love her for the last years of her life.

Rani is an adorable lady, with a loving personality. She needs contact with humans and she is totally submissive to them.

On the other hand she has a very strong personality and even though she is a small size dog using 3 legs, she would chase away bigger male dogs crossing her way. She is not scared of anything!

When I go to work in the morning she looks into my eyes as she wanted to say:’Please don’t go!’ and when I come back in the evening, she jumps with cries of joy, like I had been her master for years.

Rani has a lot of love to give and needs a lot of love and care in return…

For adoption please contact Sara Casapulla on saracasapulla@yahoo.fr

Delhi

Rajashree's note: I can vouch for the fact that older dogs make delightful, peaceful and undemanding pets. Please share this appeal and let's try and find Lady Rani a safe corner to spend her last years.

The white brothers

2011-09-25T17:44:00.003+05:30

At our other home, Kimaya's attempts to make new friends meet with greater success.

That's because she's known these brothers since they were born last year. They belong to our neighbour. You can see their pictures in earlier posts - click here and here. In the latter post, they are in the fifth series of photos (Dogs 5: Nagaon, Konkan coast, Maharashtra).

Incidentally they don't seem to understand that Kimaya is neutered and did try to mount a couple of times. I had to shoo them off and later Brownie appeared and chased them away. But they are still very puppyish and enjoy running almost as much as she does, so it's fun to meet them.

The yelps you hear from Kimaya are of fear, not pain. While she does want to make friends, she is still a very timid dog and sometimes takes fright if other dogs come close.

Nagaon

The black brothers

2011-09-25T16:41:00.006+05:30

These are our building dogs. They've been living in our compound since April 2004.

Earlier they used to live in the park next door with their mother, whom I called Kajol and who had exactly the same colouring. But our old building dog Toby-Raja died in September 2003 and it soon got around on the doggy grapevine that there was a territory vacant, food included. I'd had the whole family neutered early in 2004 and soon after they moved in.

There were three resident females at the time, Rani, Timmy and a red one I called Beauty; but they didn't really mind the newcomers. There's lots of space and food to go around here.

Over the years the females passed on one by one: last year we lost Timmy and then Kajol. Now we have only the black brothers left.

My names for them are Hellraiser 1 and Hellraiser 2. In the pictures above and below, H2 is on the left and H1 is on the right.

The names are rather misleading because these dogs are very timid and quieter than mice. They do howl a bit on the seafront some nights, for reasons I have not been able to fathom, but inside our compound they rarely make a sound.

My other names for them are Motu (fat) and Raja (king).

They were born some time in 2002, which makes them nine years old now.

Kimaya has been wanting to make friends with them for a long time, but they are self-sufficient and don't want any friends.

Above, below: Kimaya with Hellraiser 1/Raja.

Below: He is polite to her, I think for my sake. He knows me to be a harmless, generally benign sort of idiot. That's because I had him bundled off to hospital when he was sick some years ago (liver problems caused by the rich food my neighbours were giving him).

Like I said, he doesn't really want any friends.

Mumbai

Adoptions - we can all help. It only takes a few minutes!

2011-09-25T15:51:00.006+05:30

While it's heartwarming to read all the happy stories in this blog, please let's not forget that only a tiny fraction-of-a-fraction of the Indy population actually get good homes. There are lots of vulnerable pups and kittens out on our mean streets, getting drenched in the rain, getting crushed by cars, getting kicked around by subhuman people. With a little help from us many can get adopted. How much time does it take for us to share a link on Facebook or our other social networks? Surely we can all spare a few minutes for this simple task that might just change an animal's life.

In the "Links" section of this blog you will find a list of blogs and sites of which many are dedicated to adoption of street pups and kittens. Below are a few of these sites, all run by wonderful people who work tirelessly to find homes for animals. Please circulate these links and do your bit to support their efforts! Share them once a month, email them to your friends, tell people about them! These animals are no less deserving than the beautiful pet dogs with whom we share our lives.

Petadoptionmumbai
Adopt-a-stray
Red Paws Rescue

Ben's summer story

2011-09-25T13:11:00.008+05:30

Hello, my name is Ben Goldie and I am a desi dog from Delhi living a very wonderful life thanks to the many people who cared to give me a part of their homes and hearts. I arrived in Vancouver, BC, Canada last year and was quickly adopted by my new family Katie and Craig Goldie. They have raised me in a loving extended family in which I have stolen everyone’s hearts with my personality and antics.

My summer was spent on a remote island in Georgian Bay, ON, Canada. An island, can he swim? Well, despite being born far from the sea, I am quite a good swimmer. All the hounds in the pack on the bay are good swimmers. If you don’t like one island, just swim to another – that’s our motto. My island is about 10 hectares in size, covered with woods and has its own lake in the middle. Perfect for dog foraging expeditions with my new pal Angus. Angus is a Welsh terrier and much smaller than my 55 pounds. But he makes up for it with terrier style, which is generally lovingly aggressive combined with a nice hint of bad dog behavior.

Angus has taught me to mouse, I mean, they have real mice here. I caught my first mouse on the dining room table. It tasted awful, all plastic with buttons on it. The real mice are much more of a challenge, and they are also generally pretty safe with me gallumping after them in my long legged, flailing way. I have met snakes, minks and grouse. All of which just sniff at me with disdain, despite my earnest attempts at evicting them from the island.

The wind often blows and it often storms on this wild outcrop, eight kilometers from shore. There are rocks to climb over, boats to greet on arrival at the dock, and at the end of the day, a long couch to snooze on. My morning starts with me being dragged out of bed (I am a late riser) to start the morning running with Angus. After a hearty breakfast of kibble and more kibble, I spend the rest of the day sniffing amongst the rocks and fallen trees. I also enjoy chasing balls, chewing sticks and anything illicit. I love boat rides, which is good as everyone uses only boats to get around here. My favourite spot is in the bow, with ears flying and nose working overtime. Any boat will do, and I will jump in to anyone that arrives. My absolute favourite is the Sea Doo, where I sit on the seat in front of Grandma or Grandpa and help them navigate. Most of the dogs up here travel by boat and Sea Doo.

The bay pack is the best. Three border collies who obsessively chase sticks and balls. They launch themselves off docks and rocks when the ball hits the water. Now that is going too far, as I am a swimmer but not a ball nut. Two short Corgis who do nothing but chase me and try to herd me. I am not a sheep you dumb Corgis. Add a couple of Westies (stout of heart but none too fast) and another mutt or two and the pack is complete. We are often found going on picnics to some far away rock, rushing and tumbling to get off the boat, exploring every crack and nook and swimming to other rocks.

So it is a dog's life for me up here in northern Ontario. Come visit me sometime and I will show you where the mink lives, how to chase a grouse and why snakes make such lousy friends.

Love

Ben Goldie

Story: written for Ben by his grandpa Ian Baines
Photos: Katie Goldie
Ontario
Canada

P.S. Ben was named after the "Bengal Tiger!"

Rufus

2011-09-20T21:17:00.015+05:30

Saloni Kapur's lovely INDog-mix Rufus!

A very interesting description of Rufus, sent in by Saloni:

"Rufus is one year old. I found him on the street in Pune in mid-October 2010, during a rainstorm. The vet estimated that he was six weeks old at the time, so I am guessing that he was born around 1 September 2010.

"His fur is red-brown and his tail is erect and curled, especially when he is standing up. His ears are pointed and flexible - they can stand erect as well as go back. He has black lining around his almond-shaped brown eyes. He is very alert to sounds.

"He may have some Indian (Caravan?) hound in his ancestry as he is leaner than most Indian Pariah dogs and mongrels that I have seen. He is shorter than a hound would be though; I don't know if that has anything to do with the fact that he was very malnourished when we took him in.

"He also panics considerably whenever the local acrobats pass by our home. The first time they passed by he started trembling; happily he is more confident now, though he still reacts to their proximity.

"My mum says she's seen these acrobats with small, thin brown dogs with docked tails. I just looked up the Wikipedia entry on the Dombari community and it says, 'Adopting a mongrel dog as a pet is fairly common as is the use of the trained mongrel in their performances.' Maybe Rufus has some sort of genetic memory of old-fashioned training techniques to make these dogs perform acrobatics, or maybe he is the puppy of one of their dogs and has had a bad experience?

"Rufus is extremely agile and flexible, and leaps onto furniture. He isn't as nervous as the Indian hounds I've seen though. He's much more like a Pariah in that respect (as far as I know); he barks at strangers and is sometimes playfully aggressive with my other dog."

Story and photos: Saloni Kapur
Pune

My note: The use of the word "mongrel" in the Wikipedia entry on Dombaris, or in any other writing by a layperson, should not be taken literally to mean a mix-breed or indeterminate breed dog. It merely means a dog the writer couldn't identify so wrote off as a mongrel. I haven't seen many Dombaris but I'm guessing they use any dog locally available, perhaps pure pariah/aboriginal dogs in some cases.

INDogs of Usripar

2011-09-20T14:54:00.003+05:30

A few more pictures I took in the village Usripar last week. The dogs above were the welcoming committee, greeting our car in the time-honoured INDoggy way! The two in front had finished marking and were walking away; I managed to click the third one with my phone.

The villagers in that region are mostly members of the Gond tribe.

It's always refreshing for me to see the sane behaviour of villagers around dogs, so different from most middle-class urban Indians.

Here's an earlier post in this blog about cynophobia: irrational fear of dogs.

Remind you of anyone you know? The young man trying to hide his alarm when you and your dog walk by; his screeching girlfriend; the child who tries to climb up the side of the elevator when you enter with your dog; the old woman shrinking away; and worst of all, the middle-aged man who rationalizes his fear: the dog may be carrying some deadly disease...

Here's a nice contrast: dogs and people peacefully living together. Fortunately there's more to India than urban India.

Usripar, near Pench Tiger Reserve
Maharashtra

INDogs with poultry

2011-09-20T12:42:00.010+05:30

Above: Village Bandra, near Pench Tiger Reserve

Above, below: I took these in the village Usripar near Pench Tiger Reserve last week

Above: a village in Similipal Tiger Reserve

Above: Moharli, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

All around India you see village dogs co-existing peacefully with chickens, goats, sheep. Because they are habituated to the presence of these animals from birth, and are also actively discouraged from killing them. Villagers do not tolerate chicken or livestock-killers and I know of cases of such dogs being poisoned, both in Nagaon and Moharli. So the trait is probably rare in village INDogs.

These are dogs in Orissa that I know are used for hunting by the villagers (the villagers freely admitted it). But as you can see from some of the images, they live side-by-side with goats and poultry without showing any prey drive.

I'm reminded of a street dog (furry INDog-mix) that used to live in the Mumbai shelter where I worked. He was adopted by someone and taken to live in a farmhouse, where he promptly made himself unpopular with the locals by hunting the village goats. I don't know whether his behaviour should be attributed to the non-INDog side of his bloodline, or to his urban upbringing and the fact that he wasn't socialized to goats.

My INDog Lalee used to chase chickens when she was young, but soon got bored with the activity. My yelling must have discouraged her too.

Nature versus nurture...the eternal debate.

Usripar, near Pench Tiger Reserve,
Madhya Pradesh Similipal Tiger Reserve, Orissa
Moharli, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

Jaya victorious

2011-09-18T19:08:00.008+05:30

Remember the four little pups that got burned in a fire started by some small children in Delhi?

The two survivors were put up for adoption a few months ago. You can see the adoption appeal here.

Finally only the black female survived. Thanks to AAIDD's Barbara Gard, she got a lovely home in Vancouver and grew into a beautiful INDog with a sweet personality.

But her first owner became movement-restricted and Jaya had to be rehomed.

"She soon found her new forever couple and was so content after her first visit that she stayed for the night and then forever," writes Barbara.

Her name is Jaya (victorious). What could be more appropriate?

Her story in pictures below:

Above: After rescue

Above: Waiting in Delhi

Above: Arrival in Vancouver to be adopted by Vicky, who sponsored her airlift rescue

Above: Grown into a beautiful INDog

Above: In her new home with Candice, saying goodbye to Dr Choudhary

Photos: Barbara Gard
Adopt An Indian Desi Dog (AAIDD)
Vancouver
Canada

Reunions in Canada

2011-09-18T16:19:00.019+05:30

I've known for a while about the impressive rescue and adoption work of Canadian Barbara Gard and Delhi vet Dr Premlata Choudhary, but these pictures still amazed me!

These INDogs and INDog-mixes all started life as street pups in Delhi. Thanks to Barbara's NGO Adopt An Indian Desi Dog (AAIDD), they have all been successfully homed in Canada.

In my humble opinion, the owners are as lucky as the dogs. I think all Indy owners would agree.

These desi dog parties took place when Dr Choudhary visited Canada. At one of them more than 20 desi dogs and their owners got together to meet and thank Dr Choudhary for helping save their dogs.

Above: At Ambleside

Above: Olympic Village Dog Park

Above: Olympic Village Dog Park

Above: Mill Lake, Abbotsford

Above: Mill Lake, Abbotsford

Above: Brookswood Dog Park

Above: At Barbara's place

Isn't it just fabulous to see all those happy Indies - not to mention all the doting owners?

"The desis loved meeting each other as they speak the same desi dog play language," says Barbara. "I'm hoping that India will soon become very proud of this heritage dog of theirs."

Barbara and Dr Choudhary, thanks for all you do for our lovely unique Indies!

I feel my dream of desis being sought-after and admired is beginning to come true...

Photos: Barbara Gard,
Adopt An Indian Desi Dog,
Vancouver,
Canada

Note: Rupee was one of the dogs adopted through AAIDD. Read his story here.

Soulful Sammy

2011-09-18T12:16:00.006+05:30

Beautiful Sammy visited after a year. He still has the same gentle innocent expression he had as a pup, and the same way of rolling his eyes!

This is his earlier post; check out the pictures of him in his little sweater!

"He continues to fill our lives with love and kindness," writes owner Juhee.

His face and expression are very similar to Nicole Poyyayil's Deepa and my own lovely Lalee. My favourite kind of dog.

Enjoy the photos!

Photos: Juhee Dubey
Delhi

The Oval

2011-09-03T17:15:00.012+05:30

Here's Kimaya at the Oval Maidan. Less scenic than Nagaon beach; however this is one of the nicest open spaces in this overcrowded grimy city.

If you follow Kimaya posts, you may remember the dog party we signed up for? The group have been organizing events mostly in the western suburbs, but they've now started in our part of town as well. The first party was here at the Oval.

At first Kimaya was very pleased to be in this wide open space; but once we approached the party she got scared and pulled away. The trainer had advised us to sit at a distance she was comfortable with, and only for as long as she was willing to stay. So we sat on the grass about 30 feet away from all the other guests, watching the games. We stayed for half an hour, longer than I'd expected. After that she wanted to go, so we walked around far from the other dogs.

We went back to walk at the Oval a few days later. That's when I took these pictures. She didn't want to walk through the gate or on the centre path, because that's the area other dogs are walked in. I had to carry her till we were far from all dogs! After that she got busy sniffing the ground and trying to catch a rodent in the long grass.

The grey stone 19th century building in the background is the High Court. Behind it is the Bombay Stock Exchange.

"Excuse me, is that a Maratha Hound?" a man called out to me through the park railings. She's a mix-breed, I told him; but he had a good eye and is probably partly right. Look up "Maratha Hound" and you'll see what I mean. It's more commonly known as Mudhol Hound or Caravan Hound.

These dogs were used for hunting in the Deccan Plateau, and must have mixed extensively with the village INDogs. So this look is seen sometimes in Maharashtra's free-roaming dogs. I also see some traits and behaviour in Kimaya that I haven't noticed in most Indies: very fixed eye-stalk behaviour, high prey drive, and love of running for its own sake, with no purpose. She also runs faster than the dogs we meet on Nagaon beach (I mean healthy young village dogs, not weak or malnourished ones).

Here's an earlier post in which you can see a dog with Kimaya's build.

We'll be going back to the Oval once it stops raining - if that ever happens - and we'll be going for more dog parties too, even if we have to sit far away watching. I'm sure Kimaya will eventually realize the other dogs aren't trying to harm her and perhaps she'll stop being so timid around them.

Mumbai

Time and tide

2011-09-01T20:52:00.064+05:30

Run run run!

Kimaya's mantra is "seize the day." Every moment not spent running, exploring, playing, eating, learning new things, sleeping on extremely soft bedding, is a moment wasted.

Incessant heavy rain threatened to ruin our Nagaon visit this week; but on the second day it was much lighter. We went to the beach in the morning...

...only to find that there was no beach. It was high tide.

So we walked in the wadi, the coconut plantation next door.

That property belongs to my relatives. I don't let Kimaya off-leash there, because in this season the ground is covered in vegetation and there are snakes around. (We have some venomous species in this area including Russells Viper, which I've seen in my own garden).

Luckily my uncle's caretaker has cleared a path through the plants, so we could walk without disturbing anything.

In the evening the tide had receded and the beach was absolutely beautiful, empty as it usually is on weekdays in the monsoon. Just like it used to be before the tourists discovered it.

We met this young black dog with his mother. Kimaya tried to make friends with him, but he wasn't interested in anything but protecting his mother. He's only half-grown but he guards his mum very well, barking whenever anyone comes close to her. I don't know whether she wants to be guarded so zealously, but he does it anyway.

We've known her for a few years, but she's a shy dog and doesn't have any dog friends except Brownie. Her son seems to have inherited her temperament.

Then Brownie came to the beach!!!

Our caretaker Gharat told us our large furry friend has started visiting our house again, every few days. He didn't have his new family members with him this time, so Kimaya was thrilled to meet him.

He's grown even fatter, and his new owners have put a green collar on him with "FASHION" written on it.

It rained a bit, but not heavily, and the sun shone through the clouds all the while, so the sky and sand and trees and rain and we were bathed in that rare golden light you only see a few times a year.

This is the best the beach can be.

And only I was there to see it, with Kimaya and Brownie trotting along beside me!

We reached home drenched and muddy and in great spirits. Brownie stayed for dinner and then he slept over, just like he used to.

I'm worried about all the weight he's put on. I told our caretaker to speak to his owners, tell them to feed him less. Apart from the fact that he hardly runs any more, I felt he wasn't comfortable sleeping on his side, and he changed his position once or twice. He never used to do that.

The next morning he came to the beach with us but then went off home - I'm not sure which home, his original one or the new one. He has three homes when you come to think of it! That's three times luckier than many of the dogs in India.

Our last evening was spectacular again. These pictures and videos were taken with my phone, since I don't carry the camera out on rainy days.

The tide was low and the beach was vast. The sand was covered with a film of sea, and magnificent reflections of clouds and sunset. A bit like those common kind of greeting cards, but being inside the scene makes it different and not common at all!

Kimaya seemed to walk on water, earth and sky.

Kimaya is a whole lot more obedient since her training started. Though she doesn't come when called, she does whiz by me every five minutes or so, which is a lot better than what she used to do earlier (behave as though I didn't exist). I could hear her little paws thudding on the wet squelchy sand whenever she raced past.

A flock of birds flew over the sea, and it reminded me of the migrants far away in their breeding grounds in the Arctic and northern Europe...

Perhaps even as I stood there, they were gathering in huge numbers and stretching their wings and getting ready for the long flight south. Some may have set off already and are even now flying silently towards us, crossing country after country unnoticed by the poor earthbound creatures below. In winter some will land at Aksi beach close by. They'll spend a few months here hunting for crabs among the discarded plastic bags and bottles. Because tourist season will be in full swing then.

Coming back to the dogs -

Brownie made a brief appearance and then went home.

The other dogs on the beach disappeared after a while.

Kimaya scampered around and played by herself, seizing what was left of the day, ecstatic about being young and strong and able to run.

Turning in a circle where I stood, I realized there was absolutely no-one on the beach except Kimaya and me. It was empty, as far as the eye could see.

I am not very spiritual, but it's impossible not to feel euphoric at such a place and time. Even one hour here is better than a lifetime in noisy, crowded, grim surroundings.

And if you have a happy dog with you, it's one hour of being in heaven.

Nagaon
Konkan Coast

Pups for adoption - Bangalore and Mumbai

2011-09-01T20:49:00.002+05:30

There are three adoption appeals here, please share them and help these lovely pups.

Julu, Chintu, Beauty and Kalu - Bangalore

These four pups are being looked after by Amrita. They are females, 2 months old. Their three brothers have been adopted; now the sisters remain. Please email Amrita for details about their care and treatment so far, on amrita.du@gmail.com

Julu

Chintu

Beauty

Kalu

...........................................................................

Angy - Mumbai

This is Angy. I found her shivering beneath a car, hiding herself from the Mumbai rains. Separated from her mother, brothers and sisters, Angy is looking for a home. She is 3-4 weeks old female, very cute and playful. Would you like to be her proud owner??

Contact: Karan Poojary - 9820030410
leo_dude55@yahoo.com

.....................................................................................

Soni - Mumbai

Soni was abandoned outside Mount Mary Church, Bandra, Mumbai when she was just 30 days old. A kind candle shop owner has looked after her for 1 month but cannot keep her anymore due to Novena & Bandra Festival which attracts lakhs of people to the Church. She will be lost in the crowd. Soni is extremely intelligent, smart and loving. She loves to play around and is very comfortable with human touch. She is potty-trained and loves pet food (6 months supply will be donated by us). Her vaccinations & sterilization (as soon as she is 6 months old) will be taken care of by us.

Please help this beautiful tan colored, light-eyed angel find a home.

Please call 98207 11530 or send an email to payal.bhatia@petsmartpetproducts.com to bring Soni home.

--
Regards,

Payal Bhatia

_______________________

For Sherry Lulla Foundation

The Indi and the Cat - Kim and Mim

2011-08-22T12:33:00.007+05:30

Kimaya and MiniPini (aka Mim) are not the best of friends. Except in one place: the kitchen.

A little history: Mini hates dogs, with good reason, having almost got killed by them at the shelter where she used to live earlier.

Since December 2007 she's been living at our Nagaon house with Tabbyrani, with short annual trips to Mumbai for blood tests.

She was never scared of Lalee, Bandra, Lucy or Brownie since they rarely paid any attention to her.

Kimpy is a different story. She was still a boisterous pup when we adopted her, and her idea of fun was chasing and racing, the kind of games cats don't like to play with creatures much bigger than themselves, specially when they're the ones being chased. Rough dog games could easily kill a cat, and Kim is yelled at whenever she tries to start them. Mini is so scared of her she starts hissing and fluffing up as soon as Kim is anywhere close to her, even if Kim isn't doing anything at all.

But - there's a strange transformation in the kitchen of our Nagaon house. It's kind of like a Zone of Universal Love!

The kitchen happens to be Mini's favourite place. If you are one of those odd people who don't like cats trying to trip them up, never step in here. Once in this room Mini has no enemies, and Kimaya becomes her best friend. She purrs and winds between Kimaya's legs, leaning against her affectionately.

Kim is a bit wary on these occasions because she never knows when MiniPini might suddenly have a mood swing and slap her.

Once out the kitchen door, all the love disappears and it's back to normal.

Strange are the ways of cats, specially this cat!

Nagaon

For cat lovers - check earlier posts under the topic "Dogs and cats"

Mia needs a home urgently - Delhi

2011-08-21T21:51:00.002+05:30

An appeal forwarded by Charu Shah:

Mia was abandoned Saturday night in a park in front of my house. I got to know this yesterday. She's been with me since Sunday morning. I came out of my house and found a collared brown puppy being chased by my dogs so I took her in. I would've left her on the road but she's a domesticated dog with soft fur and a fear of cars and two wheelers.

She seems around 3-4 months old. Intelligent, smart, active very friendly (teething) and is always ready to play with other dogs but my dogs are not the perfect ones to play with.

I can't keep her because of my dad and grandparents. Also I would never like a dog being confined to just one room (i.e. mine) with no space whatsoever. A loving home for her would be excellent. Shelter is not an option.

Contact for adoption: 9818944362 or 41720562

Thank you
I appreciate your help

Abhishek Gulshan
Delhi

Kullu needs a home - Mumbai

2011-08-21T21:43:00.004+05:30

Another adoption appeal forwarded by Madhu Goyal:

Kullu is a 9 month old street dog in Mumbai

fully vaccinated
very good temperament
but not house-trained yet
very well mannered

Contact Fiza at +91 9810522244 for details

Mumbai

Flip for adoption - Delhi

2011-08-21T21:38:00.003+05:30

An appeal forwarded by Madhu Goyal:

Flip is a female street dog, about 6 months old. She has hurt her right hind paw, she was probably hit by a car, but the vet says it's nothing serious, and she will be up and about very soon.

She does not require much care, one dose of a liquid medication once a day. She has been vaccinated.

She is affectionate, playful and sweet tempered and makes an excellent pet. She is not very demanding, and is content to spend time by herself. She is mischievous, like most puppies, though she already understands what 'No' means, and is full of life and lots of fun.

Please call Misha on 9810666008.

Delhi

Tommy, Canine Good Citizen!

2011-08-20T20:14:00.046+05:30

We INDog fans know that our dogs are highly intelligent, trainable and safe pets. But believe it or not, there are many who still have misconceptions about them on all these counts. I've even heard a lady in Mumbai describe street dogs as "wild" dogs!

INDog owner Monique Nerman took the trouble to enroll her Goa-born Tommy in two obedience training programmes when she took him to the US. He didn't just pass, he did so with flying colours! Yay for Indies!!

Tommy is now officially an American Canine Good Citizen. He has also won another honour, first place and Trophy in the Huntington Beach Obedience Class.

Read about the Canine Good Citizen Program of the American Kennel Club here. As Tommy's trainer said, "It's not an obedience test. It's to show that he is a good and reliable dog." Skills include heel, lie down, meet other dogs and behave, and not to react to loud noises.

Hats off to owner Monique Nerman for proving that Indies can do anything other breeds can do; in fact they often do it better!

I asked Monique to tell us about Tommy's training, as it might provide useful insights to other Indy owners about teaching their own dogs.

Monique's story:

I enrolled Tommy in two obedience classes when he came to California. Tommy had barely even walked on a leash before, and I had to adapt him to a western life style and its different dog-social behaviors.

For instance, Tommy doesn't understand why dogs chase balls - when he sees dogs running on the beach chasing tennis balls he thinks it's a fight going on and then chases all the dogs and tells them to stop!

I went twice a week to classes where we had to learn basic skills with a group of other dogs. Tommy had to learn: sit, lie down, heel, come here and stand for inspection.

It got more advanced with "automatic sit" which means that every time you stop, the dog has to sit down.

Tommy quickly learned that he only had to do automatic sit in the class, and everywhere else it was business as usual...

It was very easy for Tommy to learn all the obedience skills; the problem was to keep him motivated. I had to make the exercises more difficult to keep him interested. Make the training sessions at home shorter - only five minutes at a time - otherwise he would get bored as he didn't need repetition.

For a street dog from India who has had to live a different life than western dogs, treats worked the best - there are very different opinions about this, most Kennel Club trainers don't agree with treats, but with Tommy it was the easiest way!

When we did "come here," one trainer taught us to hide in the house and call "Come here!" and then the dog will find you - and get a treat - it's a fun game and it works for Tommy. "Come here" is not about doing something wrong or getting punished, but it's about being happy when you run back to your owner.

He doesn't get a treat every time, but every time I call "come here" he comes back - I trust him with this command, which is something that we impress a lot of American dog owners with!

The advantage of an INDog is that they are very clever and smart, and usually can figure out things before the other dogs do.

Tommy has been exemplary in all his classes and tests. He knows when it's "show time" and when it's play time.

At the actual Canine Good Citizen test, we were 10 dogs, from Pit Bulls to Poodles to a Chihuahua.

It's a pass or fail test.

You have to display 10 skills that show the dog can cope with everything, from being handled by a vet or a groomer to being left alone with a trusted person.

Each one of us had to go up to the evaluator one at a time and perform our skills.

The dog has to sit politely while the evaluator checks ears, feet, coat, shakes hands, drags a wheel chair behind the dog, drops things to see if they get spooked. The dog should not react when other dogs walk by, and then it's the "lie down" and "sit down" on command.

The best part was, when we had to do the "Meet another dog and handler while your dog sits down," most of the other handlers chose Tommy as the dog to meet as he was so well behaved!

He passed on all the tests, and was complimented by the evaluator.

Four days later we had the exam at the obedience school...

...and Tommy won the Trophy for 1st place in the class!

I truly believe what the "dog whisperer" says, that a dog needs a job, to be fulfilled. Especially for INDogs and INDog-mixes.

Tommy's job as a street dog used to be to survive, and here in the West his job is to protect me but he also has to be a good dog. It's not about having a dog that's a trained monkey but about a dog that does things right and communicates well with his owner.

I can tell that it has made Tommy more focused and you can tell he knows when he does things right.

Positive reinforcement in a new life has been the key element.

Every time Tommy does something right he is a "good dog," from lying calmly in his bed to walk at heel.

In terms of being a "wild" breed - I can only say that dogs are pack animals, and again, by reinforcing his place in the family or home, and by teaching him what he is supposed to do and giving him lots of love, exercise and a job to do, the INDog can be an adaptable dog.

My vet here in California said that I would be most likely "very happy" with this dog as he would not have any inherited illnesses.

It's been an amazing journey with my Indian dog, from spending lazy days together on the beach in Anjuna, to flying across half the world and seeing him walk through Chicago international airport as calm as when he lies under a tree in the monsoon.

Below: Some pictures of Tommy in Goa and California

He truly has shown himself to be a Very Good Canine Citizen!

Thank you to Karah Night, Dog Trainer, Hacienda Hills Dog Obedience Club.
Thank you also to Marlies Meister, Anna Wells, Jan Palmer and Niklas Gummeson, for helping me with Tommy's journey to the US.

Story: Monique G. Nerman
Photos of training and test: Elisabetta Colombo
Huntington Beach
California USA

Note: For other stories on training, read the posts under Topics "Dog Training" and "Canine Behaviour."

Changes

2011-08-19T18:16:00.018+05:30

Obviously our lives have changed a lot in the last three months. Things were difficult at first, but then we started getting used to the new pattern, got out of old routines, got into new ones.

That's what dogs do, the most adaptable of creatures. It's one of the many valuable things we can learn from them.

A big change is that Brownie, our Nagaon best friend and part-time family member, has stopped visiting us.

This was a disappointment we really could have done without; however it really is our fault. We didn't go to Nagaon all of June, and he must have decided we were not coming back. He always got a meal at our place, but that wasn't why he came; he got good food at his own home too. He came to us for Kimaya. Brownie is extremely sociable and has many special friends, and Kimaya was perhaps the most special.

When we returned to Nagaon after a month, our caretaker told us Brownie's visits had become infrequent, and had then stopped altogether. He had moved in to a bungalow down our lane, owned by a Mumbai family like us; but unlike us they keep two or three dogs in their Nagaon house. The dogs were already Brownie's friends, and I know he used to spend some time there off and on, so the natural next step was to "adopt" the family.

He spends most of his time there now. I don't know whether he goes to his real home at all (a tourist cottage owned by a villager called Mr Athavale). We met him one drizzly evening on the beach, but though he was very pleased to see us he didn't spend much time with us and went off with his new friends. The family are obviously overfeeding him because he's put on weight.

We've met him once more after that, but this last weekend he didn't come to the beach at all.

Kimaya missed him a lot at first, and would keep going to our back gate to check whether he'd come. On the beach she'd keep looking at the place from which he normally entered. But when he finally came he was accompanied by his new dog family, and Kimpy was petrified of them and refused to make friends. The next time he met us he was alone, but he's fat now and disinclined to run, so after some fruitless attempts to make him play, Kimpy ran off by herself.

She still sometimes looks for him at our gate, where he was once a familiar sight; but there is no longer any Brownie there, whining to be let in. Now she looks for him less and less and has got used to running solo.

She played with another dog recently, one she's known since he was a tiny pup last year. He and his family live next door, but they are never allowed into our garden because his mother is a cat-killer. He was a skinny leggy pup but he's grown into a really handsome dog.

Because of the rain he hasn't been coming to the beach much, but we hope to meet him more often after the monsoon.

Above: Tired after a good run. It's quite cool on these rainy evenings, specially if you've got drenched on the beach. Just the right weather for a light blanket.

One of the cute things Kimpy does is carry her toys to her favourite places. She often keeps the current favourite next to her when she sleeps, using it as a pillow. This racoon was one of her birthday presents (she turned three on 1 July).

Above: Favourite corner in the messy study

Tabbyrani and MiniPini have been brought to Mumbai for blood tests and check-ups a couple of times in the past two months. Tabby used to like Kimpy, but she doesn't like her boisterous style of playing. Here she is on her last trip to Mumbai.

One of the many good things about keeping cats is that dogs appear angelic in comparison. Even really naughty dogs. Cats begin where dogs leave off.

Coping with Tabbyrani's repeated attempts to type and MiniPini's determination to stand on the remote control and change all the channels, we almost began to believe that Kimpy was a very good dog.

Almost.

"I didn't do it. Must have been the cats."

Life goes on; we've started another month of training because we all love it; and we've signed up to attend a dog party on Sunday! I don't think Kimaya will enjoy it at all but she needs to get less nervous around other dogs, and this might help.

(Incidentally there are three cafes in Mumbai that allow people to bring their dogs. The problem is they are rather far from our place.)

That's all from us for now. If the party goes well I might post about it!

Mumbai, Nagaon

After Lalee

2011-08-19T17:12:00.002+05:30

Lalee is now ashes, and pictures on the wall; but my heart and mind are full of her and always will be.

"Life is like a drop of water at the end of a leaf in the morning."

A blogger friend passed on this thought to me (thank you, Georgia's human). In a strange way it helped.

But I don't want to depress people with this post. I want to tell everyone how we're coping.

Before we lost Lalee, Kimaya had been off her food for two weeks, most probably because of the summer heat. She wasn't finishing her meals, and she skipped some meals altogether, though she was playful and normal in every other way.

After Lalee died, she stopped playing and her appetite almost disappeared. She didn't eat at all some days; on an average she ate one meal in three days. She slept a lot and was quiet and depressed.

This went on for twelve days.

So I pulled myself together so I could pull her out. I took her to an excellent canine behaviour consultant, a very inspiring lady called Shirin. Shirin has advised me in the past about my dogs, and I've always found her advice practical and useful.

She told me Kimaya was picking up my mood. Nothing seemed wrong with her health - the vet had already told me that. She told me some steps I could take to get her back to normal, and also to handle some other problems like mild separation anxiety.

I felt a lot more cheerful after this meeting. And like a mirror, my little dog cheered up too!

I started taking Kimaya to friends' homes, and out shopping with me, though of course on shopping trips she had to stay in the car with the driver. She used to be timid with strangers, but her confidence improved with all these new interactions.

My mother, brother and sister came to visit in June, so she had a month of pampering and non-stop attention that did her a lot of good.

Kimaya clicked by my brother

Then we started obedience training with a behaviour consultant trained and recommended by Shirin. Kimaya's two years of living in Nagaon had made her very independent and completely disobedient, in ways that could put her in danger. The worst problems were: not coming when called on the beach, eating absolutely disgusting things (poop, rotting fish!), and running out of the front door of our Mumbai apartment.

Kimaya took to her trainer immediately, and after the first lesson she bounced back to her normal mood and started eating properly again! Her training sessions were like games and she just loved the focussed attention, being treated and told she was a good girl every few minutes (she doesn't get called that a lot, normally).

She's not an early riser at all, but she'd bounce out of bed for her training sessions at 8 in the morning.

By the end of a month she had made a huge amount of progress. Friends have noticed her improved behaviour; she walks nicely on her leash instead of pulling, and though she still isn't obedient on the beach, she is definitely better than before and returns to us instead of behaving as though we don't exist.

We went to Nagaon in early July, but it wasn't as much fun as usual, because there were no other dogs to play with.

For the first time Kimaya and I were alone on the vast grey beach.

We hadn't gone there all of June; and Brownie's visits, from being a daily affair, had become increasingly infrequent. He must have thought Kimaya wasn't coming back. So he "adopted" a family living down our lane, because their dogs were his friends already. More about that in the next post.

With the pragmatism of all dogs, Kimaya has adapted to the new situation and doesn't wait for him like she used to. Life is short, every moment counts and there is a whole lot of running and playing to do!

People (domestic helps, friends, the building watchmen) sometimes call Kimaya "Lalee" by mistake, and then they quickly correct themselves. These things take time.

Above: Kimaya clicked by Kiran - favourite sleeping position

Below: With Kiran

Three months have passed since it happened...

Lalee, wherever you are, if you are indeed anywhere at all; if you are still Lalee or even if you are not -

You were my golden girl and all dogs will forever be compared to you.

Our decade together is over, the best decade of my life. I should let you go in peace instead of hoping you'll come back. I am trying.

Meanwhile, Kimpy and I miss you but we are doing all right, as well as can be expected.

For all the joy, the fun, the new doors we opened, the wonder of new worlds discovered, for the many glimpses into your mysterious doggy mind, for the zillion wags of your doughnut tail, for the funny squeaky noises you made when I came home, for your patience with all other creatures, for the warmth and comfort at my feet, for the afternoon-dreaming in a patch of sunlight, and above all for the deep peace of living with you - thank you, my beautiful red dog.

I love you always, always, more than words can say.

Travels with Dog and Bruiser

2011-07-27T11:51:00.014+05:30

"If I can't travel there with my dogs, the place isn't worth exploring."

Writer/photographer Lorraine Chittock is a true nomad, and so are her two canine companions Dog and Bruiser. Both dogs are from Kenya.

The pack of three have travelled extensively across South America and Africa. Read about their life and journeys in Lorraine's website.

Here are some images of Dog and Bruiser from their many road trips - and a couple of other dogs met on the way.

Thanks for the wonderful and evocative pictures Lorraine!

Above: Death Valley, Mojave Desert (California)

Above: In Tulum (Mexico)

Above: In the salt flats of Bolivia

Above: Bruiser

Above, below: Sailing

Some of Lorraine's books: Los Mutts, On a Mission from Dog, Cairo Cats, Dogs without Borders - Tales and Tips from the Road.

The pack of three are now living in Chile, in a cabin overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Another canine nomad featured in this blog - Princess Vagabond, who was born in Goa but has been a world citizen for the past decade!

Photos: Lorraine Chittock
http://lorrainechittock.com

Pup for adoption, Mumbai

2011-07-26T12:15:00.006+05:30

An appeal from Purti Simon:

This little munchkin needs a home. He is about a month old and is lots of fun to be with. Currently he is being fostered by me and my flatmates in Bandra.

He was found in a pile of sewage on a very rainy day in Bombay. We found him an owner, but he was returned within 24 hours hours, as the owner's 4 year old was scared of him.

Mischief is independent and can be a good building dog too. Just that he is so small and deprived of his mother's milk, so will need someone monitor his food. He eats thrice a day. Once he's a little bigger he'll manage but he needs someone to give him his daily nutrition as of now.

Please do spread the word.

We've named him Mischief and you'll see why :)

Contact for adoption:

9819956824

purtisimon@gmail.com

Mumbai

Modelling is so boring

2011-07-25T18:59:00.006+05:30

Being pretty is such a bore.

Okay, just one nice pose then.

Oops...

Well it is my siesta time, what did you expect?

Note: Kimaya is wearing a beaded necklace made by the Mir tribe. The Mirs are a nomadic community in the Little Rann of Kutch. I put this necklace on her only when I'm at home. Just in case she tries to tear it off and eat the beads!

Brother Wolf

2011-07-25T13:21:00.014+05:30

A surprise encounter with the Indian Grey Wolf, Canis lupus pallipes, last friday!

This was my first wolf sighting, and it came when I was least expecting it. My friends and I were sitting beside a field, watching Coursers and other birds pecking in the soil. There was a goatherd with three goats some distance away. A shaggy black dog trotted past us and disappeared...And then about five minutes later, a wolf ran by on the far side of the field.

At first I wondered what kind of dog it was and peered at it through my binoculars - but we realized immediately that that was no dog! Then the second wolf followed, glancing at us as it went. My camera was in the car, because it had been drizzling some time back, but luckily Sangeeta always has hers, and she's a really good photographer. She managed some shots before the wolves vanished.

I've spent hours waiting to see wolves in three sanctuaries: Nannaj, the Little Rann and Velavadar, but this mysterious animal has always eluded me. Very disappointing for a canid-obsessed person like me. And then, just when I was least expecting to see them, not one but two ran by!

Although this region (the Little Rann of Kutch) is wolf habitat, we weren't really expecting to see them as this was not in a park or protected area, but in fields and pasture land. But then wolves here prey almost exclusively on livestock, since their natural wild prey have disappeared long ago. In fact our driver told us there used to be many more wolves earlier, but that they are regularly killed by the rabadis (shepherds).

I don't know the latest theories on dog evolution, but the Indian Grey Wolf has been considered a possible ancestor of the domestic dog Canis familiaris. Some scientists believe that dogs are probably not descended from wolves, but that both had a common ancestor, some canid that is now extinct. However, whether descendent or "cousin," dogs are undoubtedly very closely related to this magnificent and much-maligned animal.

Photos: Dr Sangeeta Dhanuka
Little Rann of Kutch

Rupee's first vacation

2011-07-24T18:17:00.003+05:30

Rupee is five months now and just had his first vacation. Enjoy the video!

Follow this pup's story in this blog: Rupee, Rupee's first snow, Confused INpuppy.

Video: Rina Pita Peach
Canada

Little girl and Pintu

2011-07-24T17:45:00.006+05:30

Last Friday in the Little Rann of Kutch:

My friends and I were on a three-day birding trip, and one evening we sat by this lake under trees filled with chattering parakeets. Cattle and their herders were hurrying home because it looked about to rain, and peacocks were calling loudly from across the water.

This little girl was standing on the grassy slope near us, telling us about owls she had seen in the neighbourhood. Her handsome red dog was sitting on the grass. His name was Pintu, and she told me she had two more dogs, Moti and Siddhu. Typically, I forgot to ask the child's name though I had a long chat with her!

She called Pintu to come home, but he wanted to play! Their interaction was so amusing I couldn't decide which pictures to post, so I've posted them all as a slideshow.

Most of the dogs in this region are some shade of brown, though some have patches. A few are brindled. Most are not very INDog-looking; they are taller, with longer legs and a more tucked-up "greyhound" build than INDogs. Many have dropped ears. That's a look quite common in grassland areas. Pintu looked more INDog than most.

Little Rann of Kutch
Gujarat

Sunbathing in Vung Tau

2011-07-17T21:38:00.006+05:30

Ahmedabad Indies soaking up the sun in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

Button...

Penelope!

The two are siblings. They do this every day on the balcony, but the third Indy in the family, Shakers, doesn't sunbathe.

Earlier posts about Lisa's Indies: Gujarati desert dogs play in the South China Sea, Indies in watercolour.

Photos: Lisa Warden
Vung Tau
Vietnam

Kolkata dogs Lapu and Shapu need loving homes

2011-07-17T21:15:00.008+05:30

Please help Indrajit Chakravarty find a home for these lovely dogs:

I am from Kolkata and I had four 15-day old puppies deserted near my home late at night. Unable to bear their cries for their mother and knowing that they would surely be killed by the neighborhood stray dogs, I rescued them. I never had a pet at home since I live in a cramped house.

Two of the pups died subsequently but the other two survived. Along with my wife we have nurtured these pups for the last 7 months. They are completely home-raised.

My intention was to donate them to some caring family once they are older. I have however been unsuccessful in finding any caring soul.

I brought them up with a lot of love and care and have never punished them. I wish some kind family would adopt them as family pets. I suffer from a physical handicap and it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to keep two grown-up dogs.

Details of the dogs:

Lapu - a 7 month old female. She is very active and playful. Attached to humans and loves human company and is very inquisitive. She likes to jump and play.

Shapu - a 7 month old male. He is mature and intelligent. Has a lot of dignity and grace. He is
a quiet and very alert dog.

They are healthy and de-wormed and have never fallen sick. They eat normal boiled rice etc. They have never mixed with any street dog after I took them in. They are excellent companions and not aggressive but have a pleasant character. They are like family to me. They are both very obedient. They know the word "NO" and listen to it.

For adoption please contact me on
9831666397
ichakravarty@yahoo.com

Indrajit Chakravarty

Kolkata

Rex the spinning INpuppy - help him find a home!

2011-07-14T20:52:00.006+05:30

I can't imagine why this puppy hasn't got a home yet. In a more perfect universe, pups like this would disappear off the shelves quicker than lightning. As if those ears weren't irresistible enough, the dog also spins like a top. The only problem is he might make you giddy!!

Please watch the video, and share this appeal from Sadhwi Sondhi of Red Paws Rescue. Rex is in Delhi.

From Red Paws:

"Rex has been in foster care for over 2 months and needs a home ASAP.

He is a 3 month old Indian-mix male puppy. Rex was rescued by us when he was found scared and alone on the streets. We believe that he was abused by someone when he was a tiny puppy.

He is an excellent pet and will give the family who adopts him a lot of love. He is a darling, very friendly, loves playing and jumping around. Rex has come a long way since the day he was rescued.

He's now ready to join his new family and we believe he deserves a great one!

To meet Rex please call RPR on 9958866067."

More pictures of Rex:

Sadhwi Sondhi
Red Paws Rescue
Delhi
www.redpawsrescue.com
#9958866067

http://www.facebook.com/redpawsrescue
http://twitter.com/redpawsrescue

Archaeological Record for the Dog in India

2011-07-12T20:37:00.005+05:30

The Archaeological Record of the INDog site was under construction when the site was uploaded last year. It's finally complete and was uploaded yesterday.

Click here for the record.

This section was only possible because of the support of the Deccan College Archaeozoology Laboratory. I want to thank the Lab director Dr Pramod Joglekar for his unfailing patience and all the fascinating information he provided, and also for allowing me to spend entire days in the College library.

Note: We don't know whether all the dog remains found are of INDogs, as no ancient DNA has been analyzed yet. Only the Mohenjo-Daro skull has been described in detail (Sewell and Guha 1931). Many rock art dog drawings also seem to show dingo-pariah type dogs. However since there has been no mass extermination of native dogs in most of India, since the reach of modern breeds has been limited, and since the pariah-type is known to be the original domestic dog type, it seems logical to assume that most of these ancient dogs were INDogs, and that the INDogs of today are descended from them.

Hindustan Times article on the INDog Project

2011-07-12T19:28:00.002+05:30

An article on the INDog Project in Hindustan Times (htcafe) today. Click on the image to enlarge and zoom in to read. I hope that will do it but I'm not really very net-savvy even after several years of blogging!

This is the link to today's HT. If you want to read the article there, go to the sidebar, click on Supplements > htcafe > City

Thanks Lina Choudhury-Mahajan and HT for covering this topic!

Pup Shaanti for adoption, Pune

2011-07-08T14:09:00.004+05:30

This appeal was forwarded to me recently. The rescuer is Shonita Joshi.

"My friend (Akshay) and I were going along Baner Road when we found a three month old female pup hit by a car twice while crossing the street. She was unable to walk and we took her to Blue Cross Pune the same night. She had a small fracture and a few minor injuries but nothing life-threatening.

We named her "Shaanti" (not the best I know) not only because she's like Deepika of her clan but she was the most co-operative, loving and caring pup ever. While taking her to Blue Cross, though she was in immense pain, she didn't once yelp, try to attack or do anything that made things difficult but instead nestled her head in my lap and kept licking my hand.

At Blue Cross once an injured animal has recovered and is good to go, the animal is put back into the area where he/she was found. Shaanti's stay at the shelter comes to an end in 4 days and we absolutely do not want her on the streets.

If you know of anyone who would like to keep her please do let us know. I know for a fact that she would make a great pet.

We will also provide for her first dose of vaccination, deworming and ensure that she is spayed so that there are no worries as to her being a female.

Kindly contact me on- 7893217707 or Akshay at -9921610883 and please feel free to forward the email.

Appreciate your help sincerely!

Regards,

Shonita

PS: Just want to thank Jitesh for being immensely cooperative and calling Blue Cross at midnight and helping us with it all :) Thank you so much!"

Pune

Sadhu baba and INDog

2011-07-08T00:04:00.004+05:30

Sara Casapulla sent these lovely pictures taken in Rishikesh last month. "This baba really seemed to love his dog," she writes.

We can see that from the pictures too. The dog seems completely at ease and well looked after.

Thanks Sara!

Photos: Sara Casapulla
Rishikesh