We had just put down Riya, our dog of 6+ years. Getting another dog was not on any of our minds. But life had other plans for us.
Just a month or so later, my mother heard the cries of a puppy coming from beyond the walls of our gated society. It was peak monsoons in Goa so there were heavy rains almost all the time. With the help of a flashlight, my mother saw this jet-black scrawny puppy hiding amongst some thick bushes. My mother then began to feed her every day, she was extremely timid and scared and wouldn’t come out of the bushes. Slowly, she began to trust my mother and she managed to bring her home. We named her ‘Mili’ – for ‘found’ in Hindi.
Before we had Mili, we had 3 dogs. When we first thought of getting a dog we asked our friends for advice; the unanimous advice was to get a Labrador. Why? “They are great with children, they are so friendly and loving!” And that was that, since we had no experience whatsoever, we took their word for it and found out how to get a Labrador.
First, someone pointed us to a man who had ‘dogs for sale’. We went to his house, and I was completely amazed! His house was filled with dogs of all kinds of breeds, sizes and ages, some in cages, some roaming free. We told him we had no experience in looking after a dog and would prefer a slightly older dog instead of a puppy, but still, a Labrador. He led us to a young female Labrador and told us she would be perfect for us. She was around 6 months old and highly energetic. Everything was going well, and the day we decided to bring her home, he called to tell us she had ‘escaped’. We hunted high and low for her, combed through every street, but there was no sign of her.
Knowing what I know now, this guy was a ‘backyard breeder’ and he probably just got offered a higher price for her or managed to get her to mate to produce more Labrador puppies.
We brushed off that incident as bad luck, and within a few weeks, after we consoled ourselves, we restarted our hunt for the coveted Labrador, this time we decided to go for a puppy. We were told about another man whose Labrador had delivered a litter and we went over to meet him. This house was more like a run down little shack, but there they were, 5-6 Labrador puppies all huddled up. We entered, he handed us the quietest little pup, we handed over the money and that was it! He told us she was about 2 months old and her vaccination course had begun. We brought her home and named her ‘Keisha’.
That same afternoon, we took her to the vet for a check-up. The vet told us she was barely a month old and was quite weak. Later that evening, Keisha threw up and then threw up again. When we took her to the vet, the vet said that her immunity was extremely poor and she needed to be on drips. So, we would take her every day for a few hours to get her drips. Within a few days, Keisha’s health continued to deteriorate and the vet said she wasn’t going to make it. Within a week of bringing her home, we lost her.
Knowing what I know now, this guy too was a ‘backyard breeder’ . He figured that we were highly inexperienced and clueless and gave us the weakest pup, lied about it’s age and just wanted to make a quick buck.
At 14 years of age, all this was too much heartbreak to bear. I couldn’t understand why this was happening to us. We figured we had been cheated both times, but it didn’t strike us that the source itself was the problem. It wasn’t that we just got unlucky with these 2 men, the very channel of getting the dogs was the problem.
After Keisha, we decided to give it a break and stop actively looking. A few months later, we heard of a family whose dog had delivered a litter. They were a known contact, so we decided to give it another shot. We went to the house and the puppies’ mother was there too. The family told us the puppies were just a few weeks old, we could choose the one we wanted and come back to pick up the pup when she was about 2 months old. So we selected one and left. 1.5 months later, we brought her home and named her Riya.
She quickly became an indispensable member of the family and every story either began or ended with Riya. While she was mostly hale and hearty, she always had a skin issue. We would get it treated and it would crop up again. Unfortunately, our time with Riya was short lived. At just 6 years of age, she was diagnosed with tumors in both her kidneys. She had shown no signs of any illness and we were completely caught off guard. After weeks of visits to the vet, we were told that it was too late to do anything. So, we took the incredibly tough but humane decision to put her to sleep as she was slowly deteriorating.
The family that gave us Riya would also be termed as ‘breeders’. Yes, they were transparent, honest about her age and were available for help in the initial few weeks. But, knowing what I know now, her recurring skin issues and even possibly the tumors, were due to faulty breeding practices. Breeding is a science and you cannot just take 2 dogs of the same breed and make them mate – you are bound to pass on genetic issues & even behavioral issues to the puppies.
Up until that point, I always thought of dogs in 2 categories – dogs in people’s homes, ‘pets’ and ‘street dogs’. ‘Pets’ looked & behaved a certain way – the Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Pomerarians etc and ‘street dogs’ looked & behaved a certain way – unhealthy, dirty, aggressive, loud…
And here was Mili. A street dog that walked into our lives and changed my perspective forever. From the very beginning, she was quiet, docile and so loving. She had the softest coat of fur, a beautiful bushy tail and the kindest looking eyes. The vet told us she was probably around 6 months old, just a little baby. Today, she is over 8 years old. And through these years, she has made me question my opinion of street dogs as well as question society’s general obsession with ‘pedigree’ and ‘foreign breed’ dogs.
Mili’s quiet and gentle demeanor has won over so many hearts. The kids in our housing society absolutely love her because she is so calm with them. My extended family that is otherwise quite dog averse, has also grown so fond of her. We have had neighbors enquire if Mili is actually at home because she rarely barks. She intuitively knows to be extra-gentle around older people and young kids.
Without saying a word, Mili taught me so much. Watching other people’s reactions to her and the questions they had about her, made me realize that ultimately, a dog is a dog. ‘Pedigree’ and ‘breed’ only matter to us. A dog only knows how to love, and love unconditionally at that.
While Riya showed me how much I could love her, Mili showed me how worthy all dogs were of my love. Mili is one of the biggest reasons I started ‘Be A Petizen’ and it is only fitting that she is the Brand Ambassador!
Through ‘Be A Petizen’, I hope to make people question their fascination and assumptions about breeds and in turn put an end to the breeding industry that is more often than not, unethical and cruel. We need to choose our pets based on their Temperament, personality and compatibility to our lifestyles.
Your furry companion could very well be your friendly neighborhood dog or a dog in a shelter that has landed up there for no fault of its own.
I want to give you the opportunity of bringing home a pet dog the ethical way while also not contributing to the existing problem of overpopulation. I want to give you the opportunity to adopt your dog and watch the magic that unfolds, like Mili did for me.
Mridula D. Mallya
Founder, Be A Petizen
