Exactly a month ago, Shalini's owner Nicole heard about a pup who had been brutally beaten with a rod. His "crime" was that he had been digging inside somebody's compound! The dog-basher: some brain-dead heart-dead scum who shall remain unnamed. This was in Ahmedabad, and I'm sorry to say ill-treatment of dogs seems a routine occurrence in that so-called "Gandhian" city where criminals and goons are widely tolerated but innocent pups are not.
The pup's screams of pain were heard by some local shop owners who used to feed him and other dogs of the area. They tried to get help from an NGO and a government hospital, but weren't prepared to take him to the hospital themselves. So the pup lay screaming and ignored and would no doubt have died eventually, except that someone told Nicole about him. She and her neighbour rushed to his rescue and after a long drive found a vet to treat him. His front leg was found to be broken and he had to be sedated and put in plaster and given lots of painkillers. At last he stopped screaming and slept.
Initially Nicole's plan was to put him back on the street and keep an eye on him there, but clearly that wasn't a very safe option.
So the pup is now Nicole's pet and Shalini's brother. He has been named Somu. His leg has healed and he now offers Shalini stiff competition in the good looks department and the digging department. No need to tell you what a great life he's leading, you can see that from the pictures. Let's just say he can dig all he wants now and he's never going to get battered for it.
Photos: Nicole Poyyayil
Ahmedabad
Earlier Shalini posts: Shalini, Shalini growing, Shalini outdoors