The first time I saw Bindhi I thought that she was not going to live, she was so tiny and sick looking. She was in the street with her mother, full of mange, hairless and starving.
With Maureen Hand, we fed them and started giving them medicine. We made them a priority on our long list of needy and starving dogs in Varkala.
We realised the next day that there were 4 puppies, not just one, all in the same terrible condition. The mother actually had 7 puppies, 3 of which got killed on the road, so we found out from Polina, a Russian woman who had been feeding the whole family for a while.
Bindhi was the smallest one of the puppies, and even though she was weak, she would come running towards us when we came to feed them every day, she wanted to live!
After about 3 weeks of feeding and medicine, they all started to get stronger and better. Even though Maureen had the bag of food, Bindhi would run towards me.
When I picked her up and held her I just fell in love with this little creature with no hair and crusty skin; she looked like a gremlin!
This is when I decided to adopt her and give her the life she deserved. Thanks to Polina who offered to look after her if I decided to have her.
That was it; I put her in a puppy carrying bag and straight away she cuddled up in the soft comfy bag and looked so relieved to be able to just relax.
With Maureen, we took her on the scooter to go for lunch a few kilometres away. There were a few dogs there all very curious about this little puppy. They all came to have a look and a smell, Bindhi was not afraid and felt quite safe in the puppy bag.
At the end of the afternoon, we took her to Polina’s home and introduced her to her dogs and cats. We had prepared a crate for her to go in and she adopted it straight away. The door of the crate was left open but she hardly moved from it for a couple of days (apart from feeding and toilet).
She looked so exhausted and the crate was a safe and cosy space for her, she had a new home and she knew it.
After a few days, she started to be more adventurous, and even though one of Polina’s dog (Linda) was a bit jealous at first, she soon adopted her.
Linda is a disabled female street dog that Polina saved and adopted. She has not stopped “smiling” since Bindhi has been around, she has a puppy to look after and Bindhi a substitute mother teaching her dog things!
Bindhi is now microchipped and vaccinated, the first step before she can travel. It is still a long way before she can travel to France but all is going well and she can enjoy having a puppy life, playing and eating everything ( shoes, curtains and delicious bones !)
I want to thank all the people who are helping me in the process of adoption and export to France, and especially Polina who is looking after her now and giving her so much love and care, and the best puppy life she could wish for.
Thanks to Maureen Hand for her support, help and encouragements in this long process.
Thanks to Tina P Fernandes who will be caring for Bindhi in Bangalore before she flies.
And finally thanks to Devyani from Pawsome (the organisation who does the paperwork and transfer abroad)
Despite the fact that it is a long and costly process, I would encourage people to save and adopt these Desi dogs (Indian street dogs) to give them a home away from the dangers of the streets of India.
