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Pet pals
For the love of mongrels
Saipriya was passing through Greenways Road when she caught sight of a puppy darting in and out of traffic, hopelessly lost. She picked him up and took him home hoping to get him adopted by a family. That was five years ago. Today, she and her family move the furniture in their drawing room to one corner so they can play catch or hide-and-seek with the exuberant five-year-old dog Harry Potter, who’s smart enough to understand and respond to those words. “He also knows the words ‘walking’ or ‘run’. He goes and stands near the food cupboard when he’s hungry,” says Saipriya, who swears by the intelligence of mongrels.
For the most part, Harry Potter wins during the hide-and-seek games but in the rare event when he gets confused, Saipriya’s mother sneakily points him in the right direction. It becomes obvious that they’re a family of true dog lovers when they talk about Cherry, the beautiful female mongrel who looked nothing like her current self when she was first brought home. “Cherry had a skin disease and no fur. We were supposed to keep her until treatment was over”. Saipriya’s sister Amiruda Priya who is a member of TAGS (The Animal Guardian Society) tried finding a home that would treat Cherry like a much-loved child and when they couldn’t find someone who satisfied them, they adopted Cherry as well. Cherry who now looks healthy with a glossy coat, often chases Harry around.
After adopting two mongrels, Saipriya became friendly with dogs on her street. “Mongrels are highly illness-resistant, intelligent, lovable and loyal,” she says, adding that her friends’ misconceptions about native breeds were shattered when they met Harry. “They were surprised and said the next time they want a dog, they’ll adopt a mongrel”.
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Hero of the week
Kiran Rao nominates Prasann who rescued an abandoned dog in Dubai. Now, the five-year-old is called Sheba and lives with them and their other dog Leika.
Know of a hero who has performed of an act of kindness to animals? Write to metropetpassion@gmail.com
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