I found Billo and Brownie on
around 12th September 2006. It was Navaratri time that time and Rain
Gods had still not silenced their lashings on New Panvel (east). It was pouring
cats and dogs.
Around 1900 hours I heard 2
puppies crying incessantly from besides our Bunglow (Cidco garden) on Road no.
1, sector 12 – New Panvel. I went to check out the fuss and found these 2 cutie
pies crying continuously and their mother nowhere in sight. Rains were wreaking
havoc and it was thundering as if it was July and not September in Navi Mumbai.
I brought a shoe box and put the puppies inside and brought them in our house,
wiped them clean with towel and saw that brownie had a wound (probably by
crow’s trying to bite her) on her back and there were maggots all over.
Billo (white and brown spots)
puppy had just a small wound on her paw and there were maggots starting to come
and it was swollen. At that hour, I called almost 4/5 registered certified vets
but no one came to rescue. No one wanted to touch a pariah dog and check their
wounds in New Panvel as it was not cost effective for them.
Only one Dr. Kulashreshtra (in
charge of govt. vet clinic – and a Rotarian) came to help. He said that brownie
is beyond help as she had maggots up to her eyes and brains. I felt like crying
as their eyes were not opened as well at that time and they were hardly 20 days
old as per the doctor.
He gave Billo injection and
within 2 days she was fit and fine and running around the house. Brownie did
not make it. She left us on 13th September 2006 itself in the night.
I buried her at the same spot in Cidco garden besides our house where I
initially had found her.
Dr. Kulashreshtra suggested name
of a trainer for us. Mr. Karve. I met him and he suggested we make a big box as
a house for her with bulb on top so that she gets warmth of mother from it. We
bought her a baby feeding bottle from which she used to drink milk (50% milk
and 50% water – this was also told by Mr. Karve so it was easy for her to
digest the cow milk) and she used to do nature’s call every two hours and
required feeding every two hours.
I used to sleep at night besides
her box and tend to her while mom used to take care of her in the morning when
I went to office. Those 3 months were probably the best days of my life as
first time as a 25-year-old, I felt like a father to a daughter. We had made
big incisions on the box at her eye level so she does not get bored and keeps
her self-busy looking around.
But Billo was smart she used to
manage to come out of those incisions and lick my nose and ears when I was
asleep besides her. This meant it was her feeding time or poop cloth changing
time. By 0700 hours when mom came downstairs in the bungalow, Billo was busy
roaming around the whole house checking and sniffing things. Mom used to put
her back in the box as I was too tired the whole night waking up every two
hours. I almost felt like a mother and the only thing missing in my life was a
breast pump it seemed: D :P.
Karve Saheb used to visit
regularly to help us out. He and Dr. Kulashreshtra were the only guys who came
forward to help me during this time. Not a single other Vet would touch her. We
had named Billo as “Billo” from the song of movie Omkara, famous at time “Beedi
Jalaile – Jigar sey piya”
At the age of three months, we
decided to fully train her as a police watch dog. Karve sahib was obviously our
choice as a trainer and he did a fab job. Not a single person or car could
visit our gully without her barking on them and informing us that we have some
visitors.
She had become a total security
package for entire Road no. 1
We got her all the meds on time
for first year and in the next year got her nutered as no one wants pariah
puppies in the world of Labs and German shepherds. This dogma still persists.
Today Billo is almost 13 years
old and one of the best security dogs there is in new panvel. Thanks to Karve
Saheb. Furthermore, she has her own small kennel where she sleeps in winters
and in the Bunglow verandah during summers. She is free to do her thing as a
security dog for us.
Billo has also taken part in New
Panvel dog show and won most obedient dog award for her training. She is better
than any pedigree there is in the market.
After my marriage in 2010 and our
son was born in 2012, she has been very possessive of him.
Our family is blessed to have
Billo in our life. It’s as if Durga Mata in Navaratri sent her to us as a sign
of good will and good luck.
