paws_aplenty (2024)

22/01/2024

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

-Anatole France

08/01/2024

For oft, when on my couch I lie in vacant or in pensive mood they flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude.

- William Wordsworth

31/12/2023

Birthdays have been quiet time at home only, with parents...for many years now. Moreso because of the extreme crowd thronging outside everywhere and traffic going haywire.

Birthday cake was must on insistance of my father always.

As a kid, he used to throw birthday party with my cousins decking up our home with meticulous party decor which took almost 6 days of work! Delicious food was always cooked by my mother.

The loudest person singing happy birthday in a very out of tune voice...was my father...always.

Last year was nothing different.. He was in good spirits.

He had fallen sick the next day and was admitted to the hospital on new year day. Such was the unpredictable situation.

Today, his loudest 'happy birthday' was missing...

But some friends dropped by as a surprise today and made the day better ❣️

Thank you for all the lovely wishes pouring in today.

Inset : One old photo with my parents and our pet dog, Mini on one of the birthdays long ago.

10/12/2023

Very few people saw my last few years closely and all the toiling that happened with my terminally ill father. Being a sole caregiver to an ailing patient is not a small/easy task.
Arpita was one of those persons who stayed constantly in touch with me through the phase and empathised . Empathy is much more needed in today's world than sympathy. And not everybody can empathize.

Heard about Caregiver Stress Syndrome?

"It is a condition characterized by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.

There are a number of factors that can play a role in caregiver stress syndrome. For some caregivers, the constant demands of caring for a person who has a serious illness can result in burnout.

For others, the lack of boundaries between their roles as a caregiver and a spouse, child, or other loved one can be challenging.

Still other caregivers put unrealistic expectations on themselves, thinking that they can do it all and refusing to ask for help. This may often be because they don’t want to be a burden on anyone else.

Other caregivers are simply frustrated by the overwhelming needs of their loved one, or the financial and other resources needed to care for someone with a long-term illness or disability.

Caregiver stress syndrome is strongly associated with negative health outcomes. Between 40 to 70% of caregivers suffer from depression, while many caregivers also have anxiety as a result of the stress associated with providing care. Anger and irritability are also common symptoms of caregiver stress syndrome. "

I have lived Through all of the above and much more And kept my cool and survived. Emerged sane and strong...well not strong always but I strive to at least.

Thank you Arpita for these wonderful words of encouragement ❣️🤗

07/12/2023

1️⃣ Sheroo lives in a lane near my home. She was reloacted their by someone 4 years and she is quite tiny in size compared to other indies.
Got her sterilized & vaccinated soon after when I saw her mating with a dog double her size!

I don't feed her usually but I discovered her emaciated, covered with ticks 3 months ago. I had to stop checking on many of the dogs around when my father was going through a critical time this year.
So I began feeding her food & medicines. Gradually she has put on weight and ticks are gone. But discovered her with a maggot wound today 🙆‍♀️😑 Again new medicines have begun

2️⃣ Bhondu lives at the Nabanna bus terminus. He is Pilu's sibling. His front leg was fractured when he was about 6 months old. Had to show him to a vet, followed by plastering and then recuperating at a creche. He healed fast and smooth.

3️⃣ Pilu and Bhondu. On a rainy day like today, it's difficult for these kids living on the street cooped up at some corner. Half wet themselves and then everywhere it's wet too.
Needless to say that any kind of jute sack will also get stolen if kept for them. 😔😟

These are just some of the kids here. Thank you yo all those who support me in taking care of them and providing help for the critical cases. ❣️🤗

06/12/2023

1️⃣ Take Piggly for a walk

2️⃣ Feed my lane dogs in the morning

3️⃣ Feed a malnourished dog of next lane & medicate her maggot wound

4️⃣ Feed and provide medicines to suffering from tick fever, enlarged heart and spleen, liver complications. Takes more than 40 mins with medication gaps & Pilu refusing to eat without cajoling 🙆‍♀️

5️⃣ Feed Piggly & take him for a quick walk to relieve himself today since he is gonna be staying home alone for a long time.

6️⃣ Get my mother admitted to the hospital for her gall bladder surgery.

7️⃣ Come back home for lunch & give lunch to Piggly & Nino. Take hin for another round of walk.

8️⃣ Return back to hospital for mother's surgery.

9️⃣ Return home and feed dogs of my lane, feed Piggly & Nino, feed one catto.

🔟 Give medicine to one dog suffering from swollen toe nail.

1️⃣1️⃣ Feed Pilu & medicate again.
Give medicine to a senior doggo who urinates in her sleep.

1️⃣2️⃣ Return home and finally have dinner.

Also met this cute doggo, who sleeps outside the HUFT store, Woodburn park. She is also taken care by them. 🐶❤️

Oh yes, and among all of this, also sent across my assessment paper for a long pending course on canine nutrition 🙆‍♀️🧿

04/12/2023

A million words would not bring you back, I know because I've tried.
Neither would a million tears, I know because I've cried.
💔

Missing you just becomes a tad bit more during difficult times.

21/11/2023

It won't be dark forever. The rain will stop falling, the skies will brighten, and you'll start again.

06/11/2023

“But meanwhile, time flies; it flies never to be regained.”
– Virgil

Diwali or kali puja is just around the corner.
Last year my father was admitted to the hospital (one of his umpteenth rounds) on Ekadashi, i,e right after Vijaya Dashami. But he had returned home to rest and in good health before diwali.

I never had time to buy some new lights last year because I was always in flight & fight mode with the hospital rounds and with my father's failing health. My parents had wanted new lights then. I just told them that it can wait till next year.

So that next year is here but my father isn’t. However we decided to buy & put on some lights to honor him and not remain gloomy, since he wouldn’t have liked us to be.

Happy diwali to one and all.

📷Featuring Nino (the window ledge is her favorite hangout spot)

17/10/2023

🎂17.10.1944 - 03.08.2023 🌈

Birthdays are happy days. A day to celebrate, eat your favorite food. But for some it's a day of mixed emotions.
This is the first year that my father isn’t around on his birthday. It's not that we celebrated this day in a huge manner but still he was around..

He was at home last year, this day.
2 years back,this day, he was in hospital,unconscious in ventilation.
3 years back, this day, he was in the hospital.
But he was around...

Every time(and that has been innumerable) I used to fill up the admission forms at the hospital, I had to write my father's birth date. And today is that day.

I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed durga puja and was not occupied at the hospital or being hyper/stressed about my father's health. That has been my normal for past 7 years.

The durga puja hullabaloo has been making me extremely anxious this year. The noise, crowd, cheerful spirit. This isn’t normal for me perhaps...yet.

"Life, like a child, laughs, shaking it's rattle of death,as it runs."
- Rabindranath Tagore

📷 Old photographs featuring me and my father and our two pets, Mini and James (rescued Spitz)

12/10/2023

These two would have been the best of house pets, had anybody adopted them.
But alas, mongrels or indies don't get adopted easily and that too in a loving home.

They would have come to me if I had a house and space.

Giggly is an alpha male and he is way too fond of me. So is Wiggly(F).
I fail to give good names, I know 🤷‍♀️

Wiggly was hit twice by vehicle and hurt her hind limbs. Peril of living on the street! But thankfully, she had healed with oral medication and daily massage at the spot.

Giggly was badly injured last year which left his hind limbs immobilised and a swollen p***s. But luckily nothing was broken and he recovered within a month at a shelter. Giggly was neutered recently.

Their mother was a very shy dog and it took me great deal of effort for multiple months to capture her and send for spaying more than a year ago.

She had disappeared suddenly from the street one night and never to be found again. Which meant that she was hit by someone or a vehicle and her body was disposed by the miscreants 😔

They live with such uncertainties but only have love to give.

🧿🪬

11/10/2023

While I was feeding my 3 streeties downstairs, a lady suddenly stopped by inquiring what to feed a puppy in her lane whose hind limbs are not working.
So I asked her instead, if a broken limb of a human gets mended with oral medicines.
She got offended and opined that since she has observed me taking care of street dogs so I should be knowing what to do.

Of course, my advise to take the pup to a a nearby veterinary clinic failed to enter her ears. 🙂

Furthermore, she went onto say that I received money from the government and have truckloads & I must do the needful. 🤷‍♀️( Wish I actually had it!)

1. Just because one human is taking care of a certain number of community animals, does not mean he/she has the bandwidth to run to every nook and cranny of the city to treat an animal.
Not mentally or financially.
2. Stop assuming that community animal caregivers have truckloads of money!
Taking care of street animals often comes at the expense of multiple personal sacrifices and support of few good hearted humans.
3. Begin to take responsibility of street animals in your residental areas at least. Everything will fall into place eventually.
Yes, that means seeking veterinary help when required and definitely sterilize and vaccinate those souls.
NO, one sole human living 50 blocks away may not always be able to pick up the dog of your lane and run for help.
4. Learn to take advises and act on them.

More thoughts are welcome 👇

📷 Image is for attention & collected.

03/10/2023

It's been cloudy, gloomy and raining from past week. Today was no different.
I stepped out to the local market to buy puja samagri for a ritual at home next week.

I was sitting & waiting for the shopkeeper to pack the materials and I saw this dog loitering around trying to find a dry place to sit.

No sooner he sat in front of a pharmacy,he was shooed off by the pharmacist! Then he stood with this sad and listless expression for a bit and ultimately sat on the wet road. Such is their life...

They don't ask much. Just some love and care. They won’t dirty/soil the place where they sit. Already too many hostilities on the road and on top of that being shooed off just trying to sit at a dry spot. 😔 Must be hungry, must be feeling cold being soaking wet in the rain..

I also saw tiny...tiny puppies while returning back at a congested lane.. They were soaking wet and there was not any dry place in sight but chock a block with shops and I assume heartless shopkeepers.

Too many dogs to sterilize and vaccinate around but too much shortage of funds...

Too many people to throw few biscuits at dogs but very few understand the need of sterilization and vaccination...

17/09/2023

The upcoming festival season is a difficult time for street animals. More noise, more cruelty cases from strangers and less places to roam around.

Rehman feeds quite a number of street animals in & around Nabanna bus terminus. He requires rice and meat scraps to feed these hungry souls daily which all the more becomes difficult in the festive season. The price of commodities have sky rocketed in recent months.

Thus I am trying to raise funds to ensure that enough food is arranged during the month long festivities without any hindrance.

So if you have plans for this festive season, then why not give a little from your budget so that others can enjoy it as much as you.

After all, what's better than the feeling that you have made somebody else's Puja/festivities nicer this year?

Consider donating & spread the word, please.

26/08/2022

Remember the pup whose hind leg was badly wounded by some adult dog?

Well she has healed considerably now. At present she requires dressing of the wound only which I am unable to do daily since I have other pressing commitments. But she has crossed the critical phase and I visit her on alternate days to clean the wound.

The pup has been dewormed. However, she is extremely anaemic owing to scarce availability of food in the area. Her gums are pale and tocks latch onto her 😟
Won't be surprised if she has some kind of tick fever strain even....

But unfortunately I cannot take her responsibility nor feed her daily. My hands are too full at the moment. I could only heal her wound at the request of a feeder in the area.

This is the reason sterilization & vaccination is so important. Cannot begin to emphasize on the importance.

Sick, malnourished pups are born to live and perish on the streets year after year whereas just one operation would have safeguarded their lives and stopped unwanted litters to be born on street.

21/07/2022

It's always good to brush up my education and Animal Law Centre in conjunction with Nalsar University provides multiple such webinars to attend on Animal Welfare intricacies.

This time the 5-day webinar series brought a host of top notch personnels who work on the ground to protect, rehabilitate, facilitate and much more...for the animals.

I found the webinar by Mark Randell particularly of interest this time since the topic covered Animal Cruelty & Human Violence Investigations. He is the Ukraine campaign manager of Nature Watch Foundation.

Mark retired from the police as a Detective Inspector then became the Director of Operations at the League Against Cruel Sports. He then started Hidden-in-Sight – an organisation delivering undercover investigations for animal organisations and the media, and training police around the world on animal abuse. Today he manages Nature watch Foundation's police training programme for Ukraine and works tirelessly against dogfighting, puppy farming and wildlife poaching in many countries.

Hearing live case studies from him was truly the icing on cake at this webinar for me.

paws_aplenty