Another adoption - this time of a four legged one!

And no, am not talking of crawling babies. My family was fostering a one month old pup for a few days. It began with someone's desperate call to help with five little puppies...four one month olds and one two month old. This brave and slightly crazy (in a nice way!) person had put herself out to take care of a young litter that really needed the fostering.


So we put our hands up for one male pup (we called him Bisleri - he slept in a Bisleri dabba and seemed to store a bottle inside of him....in any case, it was the final destination's job to give him a 'real' name). He was tan and black and white and a total cuddle bug. He peed once every 20 minutes (conservative estimate) and already had the makings of some toilet training...he would paw at the outside door to be let out to do his thing.

Bisleri turned out home inside out....literally and figuratively. All our carpets were folded away, our home had newspapers on the floor and we all walked gingerly to ensure that we did not step on the little guy by mistake. He liked to walk between our feet! He had his tiny set of rice like teeth, that were itching to get blunt and he would try to use them on anything of interest. In came a cloth bone, teething ball and ring....the day after he tried to eat my husband's hair. My brave mom was kept on her toes by this little guy, years after her work of raising kids and another puppy. This one reminded us of the other in many ways...he liked to poke holes in her sari too.

The deal with my mom was that if she wanted to watch him during the day, I would take the nights. And I did. And what nights they were. We (of course, marriage means 'I' becomes 'we', esp. when work is involved!) were up in frustration, groggy and slit-eyed in the middle of the night, woken up by a mewling puppy. He wanted to pee or eat or just not sleep. In moments, he would have us laughing at his antics....pouncing on the bone, creeping up on the ball or prancing towards our toes.

We began on Wednesday night and our agreement to foster him was until the following Monday evening. Days turned into nights into days and we all had no clue what we were doing between work, kids and Bisleri. Our idea of bringing our own cocker pup home in January took a beating when we realized that we were absolutely not ready to add another baby to our family of four. We needed space and someone at home full-time to ensure that we were fair to the new puppy.

The decision from the heart was vetoed by the head...a postponement for another year (at least!). The children did not fight. Except one mild skirmish that had no serious intention....a kind of formality to ensure that we parents didn't get used to a whine/fight free home, they were a team with Bisleri at the center. Everyone entered the home asking about the little peeing brat. All the work was so worth it when the little one crawled into our laps and fell fast asleep when we were resting our tired feet!

Monday night came and the transfer did not happen. The desperate friend was too tired out to even consider taking this one back. It was kind of panic time - we were going away for a week and needed to get this guy to someone who could take care of him....asap. So telephone exchanges and logistics arrangements later, it was time to get the baby to Achala Paani. She runs Life on the Street, an NGO that uses street pup adoption as a humane way to safeguard animals AND human rights at the same time.

We were to meet on MG Road in the morning to do pup transfer - a foster home was located. On the way, I asked the taxi driver if he liked pups. He loved them, his family had had 4-5 of them in the village and had only not had a dog companion in the city. I immediately asked him if he wanted to take little Bisleri home and he joyfully agreed. Touchdown!!!!!

We still met Achala, who has a pup adoption form that people sign, promising to respect the animal and take responsibility for it at all times, promising to spay/neuter the pup and pay a nominal Rs. 400 to Life on the Street for all its work. Muthuraj, our Hero of the Day signed and paid the money - I had offered to sponsor, thinking it could help him out. He refused, saying it was his pup and that he would take care of him this day forward.

We left Achala, all of us pretty thrilled....Bisleri had a bag three times his size with food, toys, a vaccination card, 'Power Pup' (lactogen for pups) and his plate from our home to keep some things constant. He also left us clean and smelling of 'Adidas Team Four' shower gel, my husband's contribution to making him smell masculine and like a 'kutti stud pup'! This pup has a good home and I know I can enquire about him and know of his antics....we have not lost all contact with the little guy.

Day one of my vacation has been wonderful. Mom found her apartment - once she signs, I have another place to go in the same city. Imagine that luxury. We celebrated at Ambrosia. A Flambe festival there rounded off a really awesome day.

I marvel at Achala, who braves naysayers and cynics to speak up for these mute best friends. I marvel at pups/dogs who can crawl so effortlessly into your laps and hearts at first sight. Their complete faith in us, their caretakers is so humbling. As a society, we fail them every day. These pups' mother was beaten to death in a very posh part of this city. We failed in curbing populations (human and animal) and we fail in taking care of these world citizens, whichever species they belong to, however they have been brought into this world.

So many people hate the fact that 'adoption' is the word used in both human and animal 'home finding missions'. I believe it is totally appropriate. An animal lover knows that of which I speak!

G'night!