Keeti and Kali
Keeti and Kali (in one of the many illustrious manifestations of the great Goddess) are two of the most well known dogs to me. Two regulars of the Ram Juhla ghats, these “Baba” dogs have as stable an environment as one can hope for on the streets. Their turf is clearly theirs, undisputed, and to some degree, rather comfortable. They have the beauty of the Ganga at their feet, and usually enough food from surplus of the Baba’s meals, and leftovers from the pilgrims passing through.
Keeti has had chronic skin problems, with the condition worsening every summer, and now Kali has picked up a bit of the same problem. As the problems come up, they are treated. Left untreated, they would suffer badly from irritation, and secondary infections.
Keeti, Before
Both are lovely, friendly dogs. Kali is about 2 1/2, and Keeti is going on at least 4 years of age. This kind of “longevity” is not seen so much with street dogs. Had either of these dogs been they left on their own and without intervention when illnesses or injuries have come up, they would have perished.
Keeti, after with Kali
Blackie, Bubbly, and Bobo
Blackie was the first to arrive at the home in the Clean Himalaya Recycling center. Once again, a dog who just showed up one day. She was maybe six months when she arrived, clean, clever, and very beautiful. It was hard to imagine where she had come from. She was exceptionally friendly with good manners, and good health. With very good company and plentiful food available to her, she stayed. That was almost two years ago.
Joining her just over a year ago, were Bubbly and Bobo. The family had agreed to take in another dog, a male, but was easily convinced that brother and sister should not be separated. So along came Bubbly and Bobo.
These two were born on the Swarg Ashram side of Ram Juhla, to a dog who had had far too many litters. This was a litter of nine, and these two pups were the only survivors. Mama did her best, but it was wintertime with quite a bit of rain and cold that winter, and the other puppies did not survive. Happily for Big Mama, this was her final litter. Her health has recovered, and she now thrives.
Blackie accepted the puppies as new pack mates immediately. She is such a lovely dog, it would have been hard to imagine otherwise. The similarity in color scheme could not be missed, and at first the pups were assumed by passersby to be Blackie’s children. Not so, and they have now outgrown her to where it is obvious they are entirely of a different breed. All three are happy, well mannered, friendly dogs.
Big Mama is still in Swarg Ashram, enthusiastically finding food all for herself, and with no other offspring to worry about. She can be seen on a daily basis roaming from one chai stall to another, for her morning, afternoon, and evening biscuits.
Often paired with her is another black dog, a female. I don’t know if this is a daughter from an earlier litter, but they have a happy, if somewhat strange alliance. Both are quite dominant in temperament, and both really like their food. Yet they sleep side by side, and have the same timings for the chai visits and their biscuits and tea, with no apparent rows over food.
Julie, Bice, Kali, Kali, etc … of Tapovan Baba
This “Kali” was the first of the Tapovan Baba’s dogs that I knew of who stayed, and survived. His home is right on the main road, and treacherous for gangly puppies who are roaming the streets not yet aware of the dangers of cars and motorbikes.
Kali is going on 1 1/2. Healthy as a new pup, she looked good. Then, the inevitable parasites and amoebas took hold, and she rapidly deteriorated. With the proper medication, she survived and is doing well. This is probably the number one killer of street puppies. Shortly after Kali arrived, another Kali, clearly a littermate showed up on the intersecting road. She was on her own, without even a Baba to give her scraps of food. It was difficult to see one pup with a person, in a home, and the other just a few yards away, on her own scrounging the sewers and gutters for scraps of food. Of course, I soon started feeding her, and when she started to look better that Baba’s Kali, I had to start feeding his dog as well. I encouraged him to try to care for the second Kali. He tried, but it turned out the two Kali's did not like each other so much.
Kali number two is now Chai Kali, and stays near a chai stall and a family just a hundred meters down the road. Kali number one is still with Baba, and has had a few new members added to the pack. They all understand that their turf only goes so far, and then they are in Chai Kali’s land, and if they enter, it is at their own risk!
I’m not sure when the rivalry between the two Kali’s started, but it went so far as to involve last winter’s coats. They were still young and without a good natural coat that first winter, so I gave them coats. Somehow Baba preferred Chai Kali’s coat to his Kali’s coat, (although they were the same style, just different color patterns), and he tried to switch them. Disaster; Chai Kali wanted her coat, and fought bitterly with her sister over her rights to her coat. As soon as I made the switch back, and each dog was in her original coat, peace ensued, until the next round. Some time after that, Chai Kali permanently moved herself into the chai shop down the road. Now, as long as they remain in their respective territories, harmony exists. There are nights however, when one can hear endless and seemingly fierce rounds of barking and snarling going on from their area, all night. It’s probably a past life thing.
Bice came along when the two Kali's still lived with Baba. It looked like he was just looking for more trouble getting another dog, but without some kind of human intervention, these dogs have a hard time just surviving. She was an adorable puppy, a sweet caramel colored blond, with a pale nose and soft expressive eyes, presenting a striking contrast with the two Kalis.
She has one of those faces that always looks like it is smiling, and she just doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Highly food motivated, this girl likes to eat. If being nice is what she needs to do to get food, she will go to every length imaginable to “be nice.” Roll over, smile, bat her eyes, cuddle up against you … she has a full retinue of mannerisms and tricks, and they work. Despite all the thin, hungry looking dogs in Rishikesh, Bice has somehow always looked robust, and very well fed, and she always smiles.
Another “Julie” showed up about six months ago. An adorable little black fur ball with lots of spunk and determination. I recognized her as a pup from a litter across the river, and couldn’t imagine how she crossed the bridge on her own and came so far up the road. I took her back to her mother and littermates, and she and they were not happy. What to do? I found one taker for giving her a home, but it didn’t work out, and unbeknownst to me, he gave her to the Baba! So there she was, now not far from my home, and here she stays.
She was always full of character and zest, and in my eyes had all the earmarks of a “survivor.” Then, while I was away she developed an illness. She is fully vaccinated, and yet, showed disturbing signs of distemper. Congestion, lack of appetite, mucous in the eyes and nasal passages, and I was worried. She had not gone into the stages of “tremors” and I hoped the medical treatment would be in time. I took her in so she could receive her medications regularly, and she improved. The symptoms receded, yet her “spark” had not fully returned. The last few days however, she appears to be regaining her spirit, and presumably, her strength. She was playfully nipping at my hands, and giving me a flirtatious play-bow. While passing Baba’s home the other day, he and Julie were happily engaged in play. Neither one of them saw that I saw them, each smiling at the other.
Tatianna
Tati, of Tapovan, is by all appearances a beautiful smooth-coat collie. She has the looks, the intelligence, the sensitivity, and the elegant athleticism of the breed. Another one of these pups, who just “showed up” one day, her striking looks immediately caught my eye, and I hoped she would stay. She did, and was unofficially “adopted” as a personal pet by another animal care giver, and thrived.
That was, of course, until the all too common occurrence of a road accident occurred. It looked like a motorbike collision, and her leg was badly torn up, and broken. With such an athletic dog, recovery could be a disaster, as she naturally would want to continue to be mobile and active. Yes, despite the pain, the break, the raw open wounds, Tati wanted to run and play, as always. It turned out the best thing to do was to in effect, “over bandage” the leg. To make it big and somewhat bulky, in a way as a reminder to Tati that something was going on down there. The pain she could apparently ignore, but a big bulky bandage stuck to her limb acted as a reminder to keep her leg up and off the ground. Still, she manages quite well on three legs, and her activities seem to be in no way hindered. She is in week four of her recovery, and we hope for the best. She is an angel when it comes time to change the bandage. She lies down on her side, lifts her leg, and lets the cleaning and dressing go on. I usually change the bandage at night now, and if it has been a long and busy day for her, she will often go to sleep during the dressing.
Teddy
Named “Teddy” by one of his foreign admirers, there’s not much one needs to do for this very real “survivor”. Although he looks cute and cuddly, and at times can be, don’t let this boys looks fool you. He is fearless. Most dogs can read his dominance right away, and they all slowly and gingerly mince around him, trying their best not to provoke Teddy’s fierce side. Teddy has a large area that he covers, and he struts his roads with complete confidence. If you happen to have food with you that Teddy wants, give it up, it’s his.
It’s not that he is aggressive, he just is a very dominant dog, and he is meant to survive.
I have seen him in fights with other dogs, and he has won them all, quickly. One afternoon however, about a year ago, I saw Teddy at a distance, stumbling and staggering. I couldn’t believe what I saw when I came near. Teddy’s eyes were closed shut, swollen and encrusted with mucous, and he had wounds on the top of his head, and a huge gash underneath his throat. No dog could grasp his entire head in their mouth. This had to be an attack by a leopard, who would have had Teddy’s head in their jaws. How he could possibly have escaped such a grasp, I could not imagine, and yet, somehow he had. But the injuries were so severe, plus he was in effect fully blinded, staggering in the forest on his own; how could he possibly survive? He would not let me come too near, and had I persisted I could have driven him onto the road, where he would be in peril of being hit by cars or trucks, So as he ran further into the forest, I took a deep breath, and thought this is the last I will see of Teddy.
Not so; not so many days later he was back. Bruised and a bit bloodied, but healing at a rather miraculous pace. He survived, and still thrives.
Jimmy
Jimmy is another dog there is very little I need to do for. Other than treatment for a few fleas, he manages on his own, very well. He lives in the heart of old Rishikesh, in one of the more poor areas of the city, far from the tourist trails of Laxman or Ram Juhla. While Teddy manages on his own through pure power and dominance, Jimmy manages, and rather well, with his heart. He hops up to you, gazes right into your eyes with his soulful stare, and gives you a hug.
He is well fed, a favorite in his neighborhood, and has a smile and a gentle embrace for everyone who walks by. He is a beauty.
I don’t know what happened to his front leg, but it in no way diminishes him, or the size of his heart. He is quite indifferent to the shape of that limb.
Auntie, and Two Pups
Down the road from Jimmy is another little black dog I never thought would make it. I met her not so long ago, in the winter. She was emaciated, pregnant, and hobbling on three legs. She was with another small black female who looked a lot like her, who already had two scrawny pups with her. The older dog was possibly her mother, or perhaps a half sister. She is no longer to be seen, and I’m not sure if both pups are the first two pups, or one of little moms pups, and one from the older dog. Anyway, we’ve reconnected, and they are now getting treatment for parasites, and treatment for mange for the little brown puppy. Little black dog’s limp is very much improved, and they will be helped more regularly now.
But this state, of hunger and disease, and eventually wasting away, is a common one. It is sadly, a rarity that it is discovered, and helped.
