She looked like a “waif”. Abandoned or lost from a comfortable home, a Pomeranian-Indie mix. She has heartbreakingly and piercingly brown eyes, a sleek, slender body and smart ears that stood up like the ears of a doe.
Standing in the middle of a herd of barking strays, she looked so fragile, and defenceless and vulnerable, letting out a series of yelps that felt like cries of distress till we rescued her. A migrant construction worker nearby offered to adopt her and take her back to his village in Odisha. My daughter gratefully gave her up to him as he appeared kind and willing. Much as she would have liked to keep the little creature, she already has a Labrador and constraints of space and resources prevented her from going forward. A couple of days later on making enquiries, we found that the person who wanted to adopt her is a breeder, and Rani, as we started to call her, was running a risk.
So we brought her back and kept her with us for a few days till we found options. Rani, sweet as she was, appeared anxious and tense. She roamed around our place as if in search of someone she had lost, would sleep only fitfully, ate poorly and let out her heart-rending shrieks periodically. She responded to affection by placing her tiny head on our laps or licking us all over. Time came when we had to bid her a teary farewell and put her under foster care, having found one with a caring considerate woman. Soon with her amiable ways, Rani conquered all hearts and got used to her green surroundings. Photographs showed a smiling Rani bonding with her caregivers.
Posts were put up on Instagram, WhatsApp, and soon a crowdfunding campaign was under way and dog lovers chipped in for her stay at foster care. Then a decision was taken to neuter Rani to keep her safe, and the neutering took place at a vet’s, with anxious strangers-turned-friends of Rani. Also vaccinated and dewormed, Rani is still at foster care and her stay is running out. Again posters are drawn up with photographs of Rani soliciting a home for her where the inmates would want and welcome her as one of their own. Rani is still waiting for a loving, protective home. Our prayers are with Rani.
sudhadevi_nayak@yahoo.com
