Brothers from the Bush

Hi, my name is Olivia and I’m currently here in Varkala having just come from Nepal where I spent four months in various projects.  There I found an abandoned puppy of about six weeks old looking so lost and unhealthy in the back streets of Kathmandu city.  I couldn’t just walk past and ignore her like others and instead instantly held her in my arms, searched for mum but was nowhere to be seen.  I kept her for two days and got all the medications she needed. I put her up for adoption online and within one hour a brother and his sister were excited to collect her and provide her with a loving home. We are still in touch. I was in tears after they left, out of both joy and sadness. I knew I wanted to be part of the team where we could join forces and provide more support to the innocent vulnerable animals out there.

So, after two days in Varkala, my sister and I came across a dog with an infected eye,  we were going to get her treatment. However, this is when we happened to meet Mo. She and the team were already onto it! We ended up meeting more of the team involved with Operation Street Dog Varkala and I was over the moon to meet such loving caring proactive people helping the street dogs here.
I feel that joining forces with a wonderful organization is important to increase the support for the animals here and spread the work out as it takes up a lot of energy, and money.
I never knew to what extent the animals were being abused here, it startled me and couldn’t understand how people could feel so disconnected and be so sadistic.
Mo introduced me to a mother doggy, Devi, with her five male puppies that were hiding away in the bush. This was already an advantage being boys, like humans the girls are looked down upon and more likely to be abandoned here.

The puppies were about 8 weeks old so old enough to be found a new home before they were subjected to be treated like the others or even worse killed off.
Devi is still so young herself and already had one litter in which all the puppies ended up dying so of course we didn’t want this happening again. Two out of the three puppies that were together caught my attention that came out from beneath the bush. They were so adorable. Devi did a good job at finding a secret base for her family. I decided there and then I would take two of the puppies and care for them and get them healthier and a chance for a brighter future. Luckily my amazing lovely landlord let me keep them in the rented home.

They were so scared of course to begin with, having just been taken away from their family but at least there were two of them to snuggle and comfort one another. It took just a couple of days for them to settle in and know that I was their new mum. Despite me being super busy in other areas of my life here, I couldn’t bear to think of these adorable ones being in the street and living a life of constant fight for survival so I took the first step to make a change. With the amazing help and support from the team, we were able to get them the most nutritious foods, leads, collars and an amazing big crate for them to feel safe. It’s wonderful to see the transformation of them both. Going from extremely scared, timid, distressed and confused to becoming courageous, loving, healthy individual characters.

The third night or so turned out to be rather traumatic for them but we overcame that hurdle. One night I put them in the garden, as usual, to go about their business when they suddenly started crying, scratching and biting themselves constantly. I got worried and confused. I knew they needed flea treatment, which I was going to wait till morning to give, but instead, I picked them up, bathed and lathered them in medicated shampoo. They continued crying for a bit and fidgeting but soon calmed down. I felt stinging on my chest and came to realize they had been attacked by fire ants! After treating them, I got the nit comb through them, analysed every inch of them and lathered them in yummy coconut oil they soon felt happier and calmer. The next day their coat was super shiny and limited scratching from the left over bites and I really felt we had bonded much closer and they had all there trust and faith in me. They are now full of life, super healthy, had their vaccines, run free around the garden (luckily no more ant scares) and come back on there whistle and names, Teddy and Cheeno.

They had there first beach day and loved it too so much more to come. Future prospects: Luckily for Teddy, the chubbier, more timid one to begin with yet very strong and courageous now is staying put in the current premises as the landlord has decided to keep him. He will also have a new best friend, a German shepherd that is also living here. So, I now just have to find and rehome Cheeno. He’s so handsome and has such a wonderful character, I trust the right person will come along for him. The thought of the brothers separating and Cheeno and I also parting already brings me to tears but I will know I have done the best I can to make sure he has a wonderful start to life and not end up on the streets.

However, from my experience in Nepal and how easy it was to re-home the street pup, I thought it would be the case here but its proving not to be. There were many animal and dog rescue sites in Kathmandu but none here. So, I will be asking everyone whom I meet to spread the word to find a new home. And not just for Cheeno but for his other three brothers in the bush. Animals have always been a huge part of my life since a young child and its wonderful to be part of this team, working together and serving them as much as possible.