Few older boys have been at the Dongri Children’s Home for the last 3-4 years. They have seen many transformations in Dongri. Many external people have come here with the aim or intention of creating a positive change in the boys and have tried many different things. One such attempt was made recently. Some higher authority people decided to bring one labrador puppy each in both, the male and female sections at Dongri. They had heard about dog therapy and felt that a dog will help create a playful environment and increase joy and empathy in the children and help reduce the depressive tendencies in them. This story is about the puppies and Sagar, one of the oldest boys in Dongri.
After hearing rumors about the puppies, on one big day both puppies arrived in Dongri. Each one was handed to respective sections. There was joy in both the sections. One small little puppy and around it, more than 30 people! Instead of playing with the boys, the puppies tried to hide themselves. While the kids were enjoying and having fun, the poor puppies were a complete misfit and very scared. Those puppies also needed a lot of care. After a few days, both the puppies were kept in the boys’ section only so that they could be kept together and have each other’s company. Their toilet training was not done yet. They were not given the right kind of food, which upset their stomach regularly.
With all these challenges, slowly the newness and attraction of the puppies went down. However, Sagar’s attachment to these puppies increased day by day as he had taken the role of the primary caretaker. He was observing them closely and was teaching those little puppies to adjust in the new environment.
The male puppy was named ‘Don’ and the female puppy ‘Rani’ (Queen). The needs of the puppies hadn’t been met sufficiently in this environment. One day Rani got sick and she was hospitalized immediately. There was no chance of her surviving. When doctors saw a little bit of improvement in her they sent her back. As time passed, nobody realized that the little one was struggling to survive. And one night Rani left the world. It was hurtful and painful for Sagar and others who were connected to Rani.
There was a big question of who was in charge of the little one’s food, cleaning, and medical treatment and more so their life. Rani was with Sagar in her last days. Sagar was quiet for a few days but he was somewhere holding strength that the other puppy, Don, was still with him. He was constantly with Don. He was taking care of him like a child. And Don was also feeling secure with him. Their bonding was visible to everyone. However, we were observing that Don was getting weaker day by day and was clearly unwell. He couldn’t walk properly and was always low on energy, especially as a puppy. One day Don got a high fever and was admitted to the hospital. Again the question came, “who will pay the bills?” Don was moved from one hospital to another because of lack of funds and eventually was treated in four hospitals. But the infection had increased. Sagar was worried. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to Don which happened to Rani. One day, Don came back but still with low energy and drained eyes. Sagar was happy. He was somehow managing Don’s food with the help of some staff members. Many staff members helped him, but again the big question was for how many days? Don was getting weaker day by day. Sagar was so much in love with the little one that he avoided seeing things which could take the little one away from him.
We were observing all these things. One day we decided to talk to the Superintendent to look into this matter for permanent answers, for Don’s food, medical needs and shelter. The Superintendent was also hurt by the first incident (Rani). He was also thinking of doing something regarding this issue. He had realized that this was not the right place for these puppies. He decided to search for someone who would adopt him or a shelter home and he gave this responsibility to us. Karan immediately circulated this matter with his contacts. An NGO called Thane CPCA knocked on the door immediately. The NGO asked for Don’s medical reports first. As soon as they saw the reports, they immediately contacted us saying that Don is in a serious condition and he needs special treatment immediately and his life is in danger. He had severe jaundice and acute kidney disease according to their surgeon. They were ready to come the very next day to take Don for treatment and thereafter adopt him. The superintendent was kept in loop with all the updates. He was aware of everything.
The next concern and task at hand was, who will tell Sagar that “Don will have to go. This is not the right place for him.”? We knew that Sagar was definitely going to face an emotional breakdown. Karan and I decided to talk to him. Sagar was called to meet and initially we shared a half truth with him, that Don has to go again for medical treatment. And no one knows how much time he will take to recover. With watery eyes he asked me for a confirmation, “after the treatment he would come back.. right?” And I couldn’t answer him. He realized that this is something different. I told him, “this is not the right place for Don. We and even you don’t want the same thing to happen to Don which happened to Rani.”
He didn’t agree, his eyes were full of tears. He broke down. I don’t know but somehow I told him the truth which I felt he needed to know. Sagar got angry and in that anger he felt that we had cheated him. He blamed us saying that because of us, he would have to leave Don. The situation becomes tougher when other people who did not have enough information or understanding started giving him false promises or alternative narratives creating more chaos. They would constantly raise his expectations and we would have to break those bubbles since we wanted to be truthful. Nobody wanted to tell Sagar the truth that Don is getting adopted.
The next day, a member of the Thane CPCA team came. Sagar left Don at the gate and he didn’t want to come ahead. We went to meet Sagar and told him that this was his last chance to meet this puppy for a long time, who gave him precious happy moments. Somehow he got ready. He cried a lot. Don was quiet and with sorrowful eyes was looking at Sagar’s face.
But when the Thane CPCA member came and met Don, there was a completely new energy. Don felt so good and connected with him in such a way that it felt as though they knew each other for years. Holding Don, Sagar came out and kept the puppy inside the ambulance.
After a couple of weeks, we got to know that Don’s liver was infected and fortunately they were able to control it and save his life.
Now, Don is safe however, he will have side effects of the infection for the rest of his life. He cannot be adopted elsewhere either and instead he will be a part of the Thane CPCA team :). We keep giving Don’s update to Sagar. Over time, Sagar has understood that it was the right decision but sometimes he still gets upset with the people who separated him from Don. The Superintendent had nicely explained to Sagar what adoption means which helped Sagar make peace with the situation and the fact that Don will never come back to Dongri.
Sometimes people do things with nice intentions but there are various unintended consequences that come up which we miss because we do not see the complete scenario and possibilities. And then someone who is an observer in the situation has to take a stand. That was the big question which we were faced with in this situation on various levels: ‘Who will take a stand?’ And we decided to take a stand, especially because the life of an innocent being was in question.
When you take a stand in such a tricky situation many people create a bad impression of you, criticize you and speak ill of you. But you still take a stand because it’s a matter of someone’s life, because it is the right thing to do, and you have full conviction in your intention and efforts. There are some people who are partial observers in the situation and yet spread misinformation with limited understanding. People make faces or talk behind your back but it doesn’t matter because you know in your heart that this is the only way to amend the situation created by someone’s impulsive decision. Time is a medicine for various situations. Sagar is fine and so is Don. The muddy water has got clean and the ripples created by someone’s stones have also settled down.
