Zorro my Golden Retriever Part 1

 It is said that, in a pet parent's life, “Golden Retrievers are dreams come true”. Fortunately, my family is blessed with a Golden, whose name is Zorro. We were on the lookout for a good family dog, which would be of a friendly breed, friendly with man and animals alike. All this on the insistence of my younger daughter, who is crazy about dogs. I wasn’t too sure initially if I would be able to accept an animal in my home, but the pressure from my husband and kids was getting too strong for me and so eventually I made up my mind to give in. As Zorro came into our lives, we were a little scared of this little over exuberant creature. He seemed so funny, this cute little thing. He crapped and peed all over our house, not caring for my commands, as Zorro go to the Loo and such. He looked into my eyes, as though, he was saying that this was his home and nobody should tell him what to do. He was eager to get as comfortable as he could, in our world. Every morning at sharp 8am, he would run across the rooms like a hurricane come from Netherlands. The whole day would go, in watching his escapades. We would get breathless trying to control him. He would watch his own reflection in the mirror and growl at it. Jump backwards in fear and then jump ahead very close to his enemy (reflection in the mirror), wanting to attack and bump himself and flee for his life. It was indeed hilarious. If anyone of us tried to get some relief from this crazy puppy, we weren’t spared, as he would jump up on the bed and bite our hands and feet so that we wouldn’t get even a wink of sleep. He also took any of our belongings, like scarves or plastic bowls and chewed on them, till he could actually bite pieces of them. We would be uneasy and try to pull them from him, but then he would growl at us showing all his milky white teeth. He would look really scary then. On being given a treat as a bribe, he would drop the article he had chewed on and ask for a belly rub, acting all innocent, melting our hearts with the cute expression in his eyes.We had heard that Goldens are greedy. Four meal timings were fixed. The proportions decided. But yet, he asked for more. He wanted the taste of human food too.All this overindulgence, strangely lasted only for a few months. As soon as he turned six months, he wanted a change.Thus we learnt that Goldens are whimsical.He had grown up now,stopped dirtying our home completely,started going out for his toilet trips, reduced the hurricane runs and started following our basic commands. So now he just decided not to have that boring Dog food and rather eat some chicken homemade meals. We gave him his choice of meal, but still on the advice of others, tried and are still trying to induce him to eat kibble. Presently, our little boy is a joy at our home. He gets his daily walks, socializes with other dogs at the park, goes for camps and attends dog parties. He bonds with humans too, of course, the ones who want him around, who give him positive vibes. He has brought the meaning and essence of unconditional love to my home. He is our responsibility and so we are a team united in our efforts to give him a life full of joy and fun. As we take him regularly to camps or the dog parks, we have met so many good souls and have emerged from our shells to have a broader and brighter view of our lives and the lives of other fellow humans. We have almost overcome our fear of other breeds which we had assumed to be ferocious and learnt a lot about other friendly breeds too. The merits are endless. Not material, but spiritual of having a pet like Zorro at home.  Now that’s what I call the right investment for a peaceful future.
 Supriya Bhonsle and family   

‘God sent’ Christina By Supriya Bhonsle

                         
A newspaper’s headlines could read, “Dog found injured by a speeding vehicle. People turn away their faces, leaving it to die!”
“Poor man with a deep wound, leg is full of maggots”.
“Poor kids begging on streets, clueless about their next meal”.
“Dog with maggot wound, being killed by people”.
“A tiny blind kitten trying to survive against odds”.
When there is hurt, pain and misery all over, it’s sure then that God’s soldiers come to the ‘Rescue’. The victims could be ill or ill-treated; it doesn’t matter as love soothes them all. God’s love unfolds in many ways. One such soldier of God, who brings forth his love to such and more miserable beings, is Christina Lobo Jha.  She isn’t any acquaintance, friend or relative. She is a person, with a golden heart whom I came across on a social networking site. She doesn’t even wait for the call for help. On the other hand she goes out, to hunt for such creatures of God. She rightly seems to be ‘God-sent’.
Christina was born and brought up in Kuwait. But since her father is a Goan, the family used to come to India very often to spend time with her paternal grandparents. At her grandparents’ home there were dogs, cats, hens, pigs and goats, which she loved and with whom she played. Her empathy towards the less fortunate, was partly inborn and hugely from the environment in which she was born and brought up. Her father rescued hurt animals and gave food and water to desert animals. Her mother used to reach out to suffering women, trapped by people and forced into flesh trade. With such compassionate parents who had such sensitivity towards the innocent and victimized, it was then obvious that Christina would follow the same principles as them.
Her husband is also an animal lover and after marriage, the couple used to patrol the areas around them to search for injured or ill animals. Both shared the same feeling of empathy towards these unsheltered creatures.
She says, “In 2007 when I shifted to Mumbai, I got into it full time.  In 3 years, with the help of IDA (In Defence of Animals), Mumbai and the support of my husband and other volunteers we managed to get 450 dogs sterilized in the area where I reside.”
In the past few years she has rescued roughly 600 animals; Dogs, cats, birds, cattle, the list is endless. She treats dogs with maggot wounds or any other injury on the spot as well. One very alarming case which she handled is a story of appalling cruelty. Three pups, wrapped in a plastic bag bound with barbed wire, were pulled out from a trash-filled ditch in the IIT campus at Powai two years ago. The pups, barely a month old, were badly infested with maggots. Two of them (females) died soon after their rescue. The third, a male, survived. Christina who coordinated the six-hour rescue operation to pull out the pups from the ditch said it was all due to someone’s inhuman act.
It is very strange that this woman, who is just like one of us, is so tremendously driven to do all this without any expectations of any returns in any form. As per her own admission, she just ‘does it’. She has rescued dogs tied to poles in a dirty, dingy room from ill-treating owners. She has saved a little kitten about to die, with fractured legs. She got it operated, kept it in her home till it was ready to face the world alone. She has got scores of kittens, cats and dogs adopted to loving homes. She isn’t a part of any NGO and works on her own. She is a ‘One woman army’.
Christina staunchly believes that if man has to have a dominion over the earth, he has to sustain and cohabitate with all of nature’s other creations. In the animal world an accepted fact is ‘The survival of the fittest’. But she desires ‘The survival of all’ and helps those that aren’t fit.  She has adopted two pets, both who weren’t healthy at all when she got them home. The first Kelly (an epileptic dog) is a rescued dog from the clutches of her torturous owner and the second Marvel is a tomcat who was grievously ill with pneumonia as a kitten. She nursed both back to health and gave them a secure home. All the three, human, dog and cat support each another and coexist very well. They also welcome any other animal that needs fostering or a temporary shelter till it’s cured or adopted by a committed family.
In the area in which Christina lives, people do have respect for the kind of work she is doing. Kids get little puppies or kittens that they have rescued, to her for a temporary shelter or guidance. Due to her experience and ability, she is consulted by many people regarding issues on dogs and cats.
In one case, she rescued a man with a maggot infestation in his leg. He was sitting in a gutter and was very dirty. A chemist shop owner, who knew Christina, gave her a call informing her about this repulsive sight. She went to the police for help and managed to get him admitted.  His leg had gangrene as well and had to be amputated.  After the operation and other medical procedures, Christina put him for further treatment to replace, the lost leg with a false leg (transtibial prosthetic). She even gave him a job as a watchman in Pune.
Apart from all the rescue work, she does a lot of social work. She teaches poor underprivileged kids using innovative methods as they can’t afford schooling and puts a smile on their faces. She encourages downtrodden women to make and sell diyas and handicrafts creating a small scale industry for them.
One experience made Christina realize that many educated women also were subjected to cruel treatment by their own husbands. A few years ago, she heard a neighbor screaming into the night. She noticed that this woman was crying and screaming from 8 pm to 8 am, the time her husband used to be at home. It was evident that the woman was being beaten up night after night and none of the other neighbors felt like interfering. Christina took her dog Kelly and went up to that house and rang the bell. The man opened the door and told her that it was none of her business. But from that day the man was warned that he was being watched and could be taken to task for his wrong doings. For many, a stranger's intervention can be the first step in breaking the cycle of violence at home. All over the country, it has set a pattern to stop domestic violence. Coincidently a campaign was taken up by an advertising company named ‘Bell Bajao’. Women need not fear living in their own homes. It gave all spouses a wakeup call. Christina’s work didn’t now restrict her to only save animals and birds, it also made her feel for women who were victims of domestic violence. She started writing online to spread awareness and reached out to such women.
 Her life is all about love for people and animals, whom she considers to be God’s children, who deserve to live life well. She deserves accolades for her selfless work of so many years. Sometimes it hurts as she can’t help all. Since she is only one and the cases are infinite. The world being ruthless, cases keep coming. The need of the hour is many more hands coming ahead to aid her in achieving a cruelty free world. She says “People have started noticing the work and many now offer to help.  Phone calls have started pouring in from store owners, auto drivers and locals to help the injured animals when they spotted them.  Mumbai over the years has opened up even more to the cause of stray animals, yet so many suffer.  Even today, dogs are rescued from the clutches of horrible owners. Many burnt, tortured, starved and even raped. God is great and as we pray to the almighty, he will send more of his soldiers to assist the needy.”
 It’s really a tough battle. But the good will keep coming to overcome the evil. Till this happens, the world has ‘Hope’ to become a better place to inhabit for all.  

Bound by Compassion by Supriya Bhonsle

Mahatma Gandhi has said, “You can judge a man’s character by the way he treats his fellow animals”. In the past few years, I had this sinking feeling about the state of affairs around me. I felt, that people had become intolerant towards animals. I had read about people tying up their pets for hours on end, disowning or abandoning their pets and even starving their pets. Moreover the youth of this generation, seemingly were aimless, nothing to work towards or struggle for in life. We could call this a ‘Laid back generation’.
                        But just a year ago after meeting Mr Saurabh Kharkar, my views underwent a sea change. I realized on knowing him, that young people, who have a well thought of goal for their future, do exist in today’s world. In fact they have donated their future for the welfare of animals. He is one of the better human beings and I would say, belonging to the class of humans who want to benefit the animal world.  He doesn’t question another’s belief but is firm in his own, which is to help any animal in need. This exactly, is his vision.
                             Saurabh is a friend of all in my family and more so of my pets. In fact, when we initially got to know him, we just knew that he had harboured a number of birds and animals in his spacious home and back yard. A few birds, rabbits, street dogs, cats and turtles. A few weeks later we learnt that he works for an NGO, ‘YODA’ which works for the welfare of street dogs and abandoned dogs. We were amazed at the things he did at such a tender age. A few anecdotes could give a glimpse of what exactly he feels and the work he has set himself to carry out in life.
                         He rescues tortured and ill-treated pets. Once he saw a pug (a small dog breed) in his area, which was tied up at the side of a road. He noticed that it was full of ticks and was limping. As suspicion got the better of him, he inquired with the locals about its owner. They said that it was the pet of a cab driver. He then went up to the cab driver and told him to give him the pet as he wanted to treat it.The pug was in a miserable condition. The ticks had almost eaten his eye and his limp was also due to thousands of ticks biting away his paw. As the cab driver refused to give away his pet for treatment, Saurabh lodged a complaint at the nearest police station and with the help of the police rescued the pup from his owner and took it for treatment at a nearby hospital. He paid for all its expenses. The pug had got a condition known as ‘tick fever’. Also known as ‘Rocky Mountain spotted fever’ (RMSF) is a tick-borne illness caused by bacteria, resulting in a high fever and a characteristic rash. The only way to prevent this is clearing a dog’s skin of ticks and maintaining hygiene.
 In this condition the dog can be affected in several ways, namely he can get paralyzed or get organ failure and even die. Due to timely help from Saurabh, the pug recovered in a month, but unfortunately lost one eye, which was sickeningly eaten up by ticks. Eventually, a good Parsi family adopted him. Thus the pug got a loving home, due to Saurabh’s efforts.
                               Saurabh also takes abandoned pets under his wing and gets them loving homes. He gives first aid to injured birds and animals and sees to it that they get proper medical treatment. He treats animals with maggot infestation, till they are cured completely. He cleans street dogs of ticks and fleas. The work that Saurabh has done and is doing is really awesome. He rescues animals in danger of being killed by the locals, who consider them to be pests. Once on the way to Kelwa (a picnic spot in Maharashtra), he found a little puppy about to die of hunger. He picked her up and gave her food. Asking around for food for the puppy, luckily he then found a family which loved dogs and gave her to their care He saw that the family wasn’t well off to take care of the pup and so he provided them with money to feed the puppy. In another situation, there was an abandoned pretty pup that Saurabh was fostering. Somehow nobody came forward to adopt the pretty one for a long time, so he himself adopted her. Her name is Cleo. He has also adopted a female Husky and a male Rottweiler pup to give them a good life as their respective owners couldn’t take care of them well  and added them to his already overflowing ‘Ensemble of pets’.
                                   Apart from dogs, he has rescued a horse from the clutches of its cruel owners. It was being scorched, with burnt cigarette butts by them, for their pervert entertainment. In this case too, he took the help of like-minded people and the police for carrying out the task. He then sent it for treatment and rehabilitation. His fight was till the finish, till the job was rightly completed. His commitment towards animal kind is made of ‘sterner stuff’.
                                          He doesn’t disturb strays that coexist well with their environment. But helps those who are in need of any aid. If any person notices a sick or wounded street dog in his vicinity and alerts Saurabh, he literally springs to action. He gives the required first aid treatment and cleans them of ticks and checks for maggot infestation if any. Moreover he calls for the ambulance in which he accompanies the dog to an animal hospital for appropriate veterinary treatment.
                            He is doing his BA in a reputed college in Mumbai, but plans are on to go abroad and learn physiotherapy for rehabilitating injured or paralyzed animals.
                                            I know very well that he isn’t alone. There are many such wonderful people doing their bit for the welfare of birds and animals. But, in my view, he definitely stands out, amongst us common people, due to his complete love for and focus on animals. We, common pet parents, feel like doing our bit too. But we are tied by the chains of our fears, capacities, relations, age or even our goals in life. Saurabh is only bound by his compassion for animals in distress. All he desires is that man should do justice to animal kind as a whole. He is working towards achieving just this life. Restoring peace, health and happiness to the lives of as many animals as he can.

                               Supriya Bhonsle

A Doe eyed Angel -Labrador retriever by Supriya Bhonsle

                               
In today’s world, in spite of technology overtaking age old methods, in every field on the planet, man still seems helpless. Especially when it comes to tackling various health issues, of which the remedies are still in the germination stage. Certain disabilities can cripple man’s life. More so his agility and his progress in life could be hindered.
               In such a scenario, most people lose heart and become recluses. They submit themselves and their future to their fate. But yet there are some, who rise above all and build their future, step by step. It is this steel-grit and determination of young Karan Shah, which led the doe-eyed ‘Angel’, a pretty female Labrador pup into his arms. Karan physically has a spinal cord disorder, Spinal muscular Atrophy (SMA),  by birth, due to which he is wheel-chair bound. But as we say, God has sent each one of us with a mission. Some of us leave for our heavenly abode without even acknowledging our true worth and our hidden talents. It is said that a strong will-power gets you closer to your future goal. This is exactly what has happened with Karan. He got his Angel as a gift from a close and dear family friend quite unexpectedly.
                Karan’s father Mr Sunil Shah who is also a great dog lover, along with Karan were thrilled, at having brought home this bundle of joy. For his mother, Mrs Pratima Shah, Angel, is like a daughter, whom she dotes on. The dear girl had won their hearts at first sight and now she is an important part of their lives. Karan has disciplined her, has worked out a fixed schedule for her walks, play time, training and meals. His mom prepares nutritious vegetarian meals for Angel in the kitchen, which ensures that she doesn’t miss out on any nutrient. Commercially available dog food is given, once a day too. But for her training she is given treats or dog biscuits or whatever Karan finds most suitable, so that Angel’s health isn’t affected in any way. He has not only taught her the basic commands like sit, stay, jump, up, shake hands ,recall, fetch articles, but also  the advanced training has been given to her of switching on and off lights and fans, fetching his cell when it rings etc. He takes her for walks and walks her by tying her leash to his chair, but she walks very obediently beside him, as a companion and as a friend. He has trained her, never to tug at the leash and to see her follow his rules, sure is commendable.
                                In their lives buzzing around Angel, like any good parents would, they searched for a good trainer for her and chanced upon a name, well known in dog training, Mrs Shirin Merchant. Mrs Merchant guided them in many ways. In fact both father-son duo did her course for trainers. They averred that Angel should be an assistant to Karan. So finally the real training began, of Angel, by Karan, guided by Mrs Shirin Merchant, for Assistive dog training. She was a very good student, who picked up commands very quickly and did not fail her master and teacher in any way. This is what Mrs Shirin Merchant has to say about her students, Karan and Angel, “Angel and Karan are a team made in heaven. Angel is one of the fastest dogs, I’ve taught and is very special. Even though she’s young she has a certain maturity about her and is a wonderful partner to Karan”. Karan has not only got the satisfaction of training Angel, but also has trained few other dogs too. Basically since he has successfully completed ‘The canine teaching and training course’ and ‘Canine aggression course’ at Mrs Shirin Merchant’s training school, he is eligible and experienced enough to train pet dogs now.
                                      Karan has also started his own page on Facebook, named as ‘Pawsitive future’ in which his positive approach can be distinctly seen. All those who know him, can see, thanks to his ‘moving ahead and calm’ attitude towards life that he is already moving towards a great future. He is now a Canine trainer and Consultant. He can train for therapy for Parkinson and Autism cases. As of now he has taken up training for bonding kids and dogs for making them comfortable with each other. If

anyone needs guidance regarding their dogs, he can be contacted by email- His id is pawsitivefuture@hotmail.com.
Angel has filled his world with positivity and love. So somehow, he can’t, but help giving a large part of that credit to his pretty, playful, doe-eyed Angel, who will loyally, silently, assist him forever.
                                                                                                   Supriya Bhonsle