Vikrant Abraham was heartbroken when his beloved pet Lassie whom he adopted from an animal shelter passed away of old age. It was one year after this, that his family found themselves ready to adopt again. It happened when Vikrant fell in love with an angelic mongrel’s photograph on a Facebook adoption forum. She was a homeless puppy who was calm and timid at first sight, but after he brought her home, he was delighted that her personality blossomed. He christened her Ruby and describes her as the most playful dog on earth. “She jumps up on me when I’m on the phone,” he says, adding that she loves the attention of people so much that she sometimes wakes up napping family members just to say hello.
His adopted cat who lives partly outdoors is Ruby’s closest pal. “The two of them have their own conversations,” says Vikrant who reveals that his parents whole-heartedly supported his decision to adopt a homeless pet. When he is asked by people about why he chose to adopt a native breed that was rescued from the street, he responds, “My philosophy is very simple. What difference does it make? A dog is a dog. They are as loving and smart as any other breed.”
He shrugs off any unpleasant comments, and refers to Ruby as the ‘child in the house’. He reveals that he’s glad that she tops the list of his parents’ priorities, “so, that’s higher than me or my brother,” he says, adding with a chuckle that she squabbles with him gently the way a sibling would.
Vikrant thinks back at the time after Lassie’s death and before Ruby’s adoption. “It was a dull year,” he says, signing off with the reason dogs hold a special place in our heart. “I travel a lot for my work. And the nicest feeling in the world is to come home and see the smiling face of a dog.”
