A starving dog that strays into Pakistan and Indian trenches on either side of the freshly-formed border following Partition is ‘martyred’ in the squabble as the canine’s nationality is uncertain.
If Saadat Hasan Manto’s moving tale of ‘The Dog of Tetval’ unsheathes a puerile cross-border animosity, a story of immeasurable love sans borders unfolded at the Pattanam archaeological excavation site, some 25 km north of Ernakulam town, last month.
A team of about 10 archaeologists from the Oxford University led by Chris Gosden, chair of European Archaeology, and Wendy Morrison, that camped at Pattanam for over a month from end-March to carry out joint research with a multidisciplinary team of Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) was in for some pleasant surprise when they ran into an unusual host, a female street dog that grew fond of them in no time.
Dobby, as they named it after the Harry Potter mongrel, was part of a pack of dogs that would frequent the archaeological trenches and the researchers’ camp.
Dobby, in particular, grew fond of the visiting team, which eventually provided her a mattress to sleep on at their camp. This was when Dr. Morrison and Laura, a research student, thought of taking her along all the way to the UK.
But it was a costly affair. The money needed to ship her was mobilised by way of a social media appeal, while the team went about Pattanam trying to see if Dobby had an owner. Once they ascertained that it was a stray animal, they obtained legal sanction from both Indian and British authorities for the adoption. Her health was endorsed by a vet. A suitable crate was bought from Thrissur after extensive search and Dobby bade goodbye to her mates by end-April.
At the moment, she’s undergoing the compulsory pet quarantine in the UK before leaping into a life of hope and love.
