Appaka - A Story of Love & Friendship for Children!

Join Little Dragon Reader to read about Nonnu and her pet goat Appaka! What will you do if one day your best friend goes missing? The bright & quirky illustrations capture everyday life, colours and the bond between Nonnu & Appaka in a beautiful way. Enjoy! Thank you for watching! Like it, Share it, and Subscribe to the channel

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Happy International Dog day!

To honour the friendship between man and his best friend, we celebrate International Dog Day every year on the 26th of August.

Let us take a minute today to think of dogs, the infinite love that they are capable of, and the sheer value & meaning they add to our lives. From being our companions to being service dogs to emergency services and national security, dogs contribute in many ways to enrich and safeguard human life.

Let’s pledge to do something extra for our furry friends today. Let us think of other dogs around the world who need support, be it in conflict/disaster zones or in our own backyard.

Any contribution to rescue groups around the world is a welcome support to these usually cash strapped organizations. Contribution of time by volunteering or fostering is of even more value. If nothing else, just feed a stray!

Say no to illegal activities like dog breeding or dog fighting. Let us never turn a blind eye to an animal in need. Let us always speak up whenever we see animal abuse, instead of walking away.

The best things we can learn from dogs:

• Live in the moment

• Love unconditionally

• Never judge

• Don’t bear a grudge

Happy International ‘Best friend’ day everyone!

Rescue story - Diva, the husky!

I can’t believe it’s been a year since Diva left Doha! I had promised Jacqui and Ron, her wonderful forever parents, that I would do a write-up of her rescue and adventures up until she reached them; and this is long overdue. Marking the first anniversary of her being part of their family, today is the day I am finally writing this piece as a gift to Diva, Jacqui, and Ron. 

I found Diva loitering on the streets near my house on December 9^th 2019 - a muddy husky in rainy Doha. It was as if she wanted to be found by me - I stopped my car, called her and she readily came over. I tried to get her into the car but she did not want to do that. Instead, she was content to lie down on the street, right at my feet, and prepared to fall asleep! I realized she was very tired; thankfully I was so near to my home that I could see the gates. I called home for help, a leash, few treats to gain her trust (which didn’t seem like a problem) and kept her safe as she rested. Few minutes later, I organised help to have her walked home while I trailed behind in the car.

The first thing Diva needed was a thorough wash as she was caked in mud. She was clearly not too pleased but being the wonderful girl she is, tolerated it. Soon after, she was given a warm home cooked meal of rice and chicken, and I think she looked happy and content 😊

At that time, I had two dogs of my own at home who needed some reassuring that the new dog was not an intruder and that they weren’t getting replaced. But by then they were so used to the numerous foster dogs (and cats) that came and left our home that they decided to ignore this new one for as long as they could!

My daughter, who is quite the expert at giving pets the most befitting names, christened her Diva. To this day I am amazed at how well the name suits her as I have not seen a dog who is more of a diva than our Diva! I am sure Jacqui and Ron feel the same, as they very thoughtfully and graciously retained her name after adopting her 😉

Diva fit into our family extremely well and our dogs learnt to live with her. As if they had a choice! Diva took over the house and made it her own almost immediately. I was coordinating with my dearest friend Leah to re-home her in Canada; and Diva was vaccinated in the meantime. I had postponed getting her spayed as I had a busy month at work and home. This procrastination turned out to be a blessing as we discovered by mid-January 2020 that she was pregnant! Jan 30^th, she went into labor and delivered five healthy husky babies (Chase, Shadow, Cleo, Elsie and Max) and one weak baby (Millie) who we unfortunately lost that very day. Diva proved to be an exceptionally great mother and took amazing care of her babies as we lovingly watched them grow. Leah found all of them amazing homes after they had spent few months with the mother and we are all still connected. Stories about each of them would be separate posts in themselves!

What else can I say about Diva? She is the goofiest, loveliest, friendliest husky I have ever known. Always ready to play or argue, she is never one to shy away from any activity. Our chats first thing every morning were legendary as she is the most conversational dog I have ever met. One more goofy habit of hers was to fall asleep with tongue out a little. I have spent fun times secretly clicking a picture of her while she slept 😊. She was a wonderful addition to our home and showered us much needed love during tough times when, devastatingly, both our dogs passed away last year due to old age. Sending her to Canada was one of the hardest things to do, but it was the right thing to do (a desert is no place for a Husky), worth it all to see what a wonderful family she has become a part of, and how much she is loved. Jacqui & Ron even send her to doggy day care, where she seems to be the favourite, but no surprises there!

Special and warmest thanks to Leah and Arabian Saluki Rescue-NL for always supporting me, all my rescues and magically finding them all the very best homes. No one can do what you do so well, Superstar Leah. We all love you!

Jacqui and Ron, thank you for making Diva part of your family as your baby and for keeping us all involved in her life with you. May you have many years of happiness, good health and fun with Diva!

Prime Minister's address on Indian dogs

I loved the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi's address today that included a bit about dogs. He spoke about their integral contribution to the Indian Army's services and importance in preventing acts of terrorism. He took the time to honour several dogs by their names which makes the whole narrative much more personal. For their trainers and units they were family, so it is only fair that their contribution was acknowledged by name, by none other than the Prime Minister himself. While the list is extremely small and the PM will not have enough time to list all martyred dogs in service, it certainly reflects the respect for all of them. 

The PM had also taken the time to research and list some of the native breeds of India and point out some of their special characteristics. They are so much more suited to the country obviously as they were natives here long before their western counterparts arrived and can handle the conditions and native food much better. He also spoke about research happening across Government agricultural institutes on these dogs. The PM encouraged people to do their research and learn more about all of this information, which is sound advice any day. 

The last bit was the best, where the PM asked every family thinking about adopting dogs to consider Indian breeds. One thing the PM should have added is to say adopt strays from the streets who are basically mixed breeds and are very resilient. But I will add this here. Strays are more loyal than any dog of a particular breed that you might 'buy'. Never buy a dog, whatever the breed may be, while there are so many homeless that you can save. People breed dogs for materialistic benefits and for most part the dogs are misused. Help prevent that, please!

It is important that people who have a voice use it for such matters, so it will be heard by more people. For this thank you Modi ji; animal lovers appreciate you taking the time to talk about this.  

Pencil drawing - Sandy

I am no great artist, but I have found it cathartic to draw my pets if they cross the rainbow bridge. It never gets easy or better......it has been more than eight weeks and I still want to burst into tears every time I think of Sandy. 

I did a pencil sketching of her and found that I could recall every patch of fur on her face with its contours in all its glory! 

This is Sandy

End of an era!

 

June 2020 has been one of the hardest months of my life for many reasons. The most important one of them was the passing of my dear Sandy. My constant companion since 2009; my most faithful friend and family member; my reason for coming home many times! 

I admit that I have simply been bursting into tears anytime I simply thought of her and hence this delayed post. I still do, but I can now write about it.....well, somewhat! Sandy made me a mother for the first time. I now had a fellow living being that depended on me to take care of her, walk her, feed her and bathe her. A member to include in grocery shopping lists and to talk about to everyone who would listen. Everyone knows how mothers cannot stop talking of their children, well, that was me too with Sandy. I moved houses for her and planned every day with her in mind, including visits to friends and family. Planned weekends ahead of time so that I could do more activities with her. When our second baby Dexy got added to the family, I was happy since Sandy now had company. Then the human babies came! 

Unfortunately, my time had to be divided between four babies now and there was little to go around. That is probably my biggest regret. While Sandy was always high in my priority, having fun was not always, as all young mothers would know. Now I wish I had had more time just being silly with both my babies. They are gone all of a sudden this year and the house is not the same. No barks and walks to worry about. We are still fostering a dog, thank goodness for that. But life is not the same without my two babies. I see her favourite treats that I never gave to other dogs since I cannot always find them and have to ration. I wish I was not saving them and just had given more to her when she could enjoy them. Regrets....guilt....stuff for mothers! It was early morning when she passed, but I was with her. I could not sleep and knew in my subconscious I think. She wanted me next to her and I sang her last good night song before she passed. Small consolations. While I can still not come to terms, I am glad she did not suffer long. I love you my baby........always be next to me.

Personal loss

Losing a pet is ranked as one of the worst personal crisis that one could face. This is also an often used excuse when people really do not want to add on an additional responsibility to their lives. 'Oh I can't deal with losing a pet, so I'd rather not have one'. Of course to me this is equivalent to saying I know I am going to die one day, so let me stop living now! While I know this to be true for all pets or even farm animals, anyone who knows me knows my partiality for dogs. I simply adore and am in awe of this absolutely faithful creation of God. There is no love as unconditional as theirs. There is no one else who would respect you as much without passing any judgement, ever. Who else joins you in your silly dances, rants and even sadness, adopting your mood to be theirs at any given moment? Who forgives you every time you make a mistake and picks up right where you left off? 2020 has been one of the worst years in my life because I already lost a cherished member of my family, Dexy. We found her on the streets of Doha in 2011, just at the start of summer. For anyone who might know this part of the world, you know that is a death sentence for any stray at 50 degree temperatures outside! Adding to this, she had a beautiful black coat, which will overheat in seconds in that kind of temperatures. She was checked by the vet and had a good bill of health and came home to be fostered until we found her a permanent home. Dexy never left until February this year for the last time. She was a very unique dog, kind of a therapy dog. I am yet to meet another dog who would even come close to her levels of patience and wonderful temperament. We have since fostered brat of puppies, many of whom have made her life miserable just by being their puppy selves and I have never seen her as much as tell them off politely! She was a rock of support to our other dog Sandy, who can be quite touchy although utterly adorable. Dexy just grew old, weaker in her last few months and one day collapsed. There was nothing more we could have done more except let her go peacefully. But like in all cases, I have been filled with regret.....could I have loved her even more? Could I have made her life more fun? Did I care enough for her? Did I make sure she knew how much I loved her and does she know how much I miss her now? The underlying reasons for such questions in my mind was the fact that my family expanded after they both arrived. My two daughters came and took up more of my time over the last decade, a problem all young families have to deal with - lack of time. Dexy, I love you and miss you like crazy. I am sorry for anything I may have done or not done. I say 2020 is one of the worst years because your sister Sandy is also very sick now and it looks like we are fighting a losing battle. Look over her as you always have, while I cling on to precious minutes with her. Your memory keeps me going.....

Pit bull facts by Nat geo

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/giving-pit-bulls-second-chance-infographic-233514251.html

National Geographic has come up with facts on Pit bulls and their campaign I hope will clear the common misconceptions about these gentle and friendly dogs. Makes for a good read. They actually rank better than Collies, German Sheperds and Beagles in the temperament tests, all of which are loved family dogs!

Lets save these beautiful creatures from being killed in shelters everyday for wrong reasons.

Doomsday

Doomsday came and went. Nothing happened, as expected. Then why did I still wake up yesterday feeling just a little dissappointed?

We, mankind can continue wrecking havoc on the environment, on animals, fellow humans and continue living so unchecked. Just a tad dissappointed that there is no end to all the nonsense and a new beginning after many centuries, if only doomsday had been true!

Therapy animals

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/dog-who-teaches-kids-talk

How sweet! Animals, just like some kids and people can be slow. But see how that is a blessing instead of a curse. They ought to be cherished, encouraged and loved, just like children with disabilities. Wonderful article and our Dexy is just like the dog in the pic, with the exact same personality! Gotta love them :)

More dogfighting news

More great news here regarding dogfihgting discovered in the Phillippines
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pit-bulls-philippine-dog-fights-euthanized-16067234
This time the animal welfare society decided to euthnize the poor animals rather than trying to adopt them out. A wise decision to end the poor animals sufferings if thats how mean people are! Animals do not deserve to suffer like this ever.

What kind of morons get their pleasure out of seeing animals fight in a ring or even viewing them online? What is their upbringing? I should really do some research on this and maybe get myself a doctorate based on this mental sickness!
May the dear dogs RIP and never have to suffer again.

World house sparrow day!

Today March 20th, is observed as World House Sparrow Day http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article3006413.ece
How nice it was to grow up with sparrows in our childhood along with so many other birds. We should all do our small bit in saving these beautiful, important creatures around our house and keep them from becoming extinct in the ecosystem.
Amazingly we have plenty of them in Doha, in spite of the crazy weather variations. My morning routine begins with a cup full of rice for them :)

Idli

New rescue this month....meet Idli*! Aptly named so by V, due to this peeping Idli face (pic 2) from the hedges, panting after dashing and running around during morning play. She is a beautiful little kitten that we brought home from outside a shopping complex in the city. She is living with us as an outdoor cat, due to the two dogs at home, but with full meals facilities and daily playtime. Pic 3 is of the poor little dog with the welcome sign, which has never managed to stand as it is supposed to for few minutes ever since Idli arrived! It is her little toy :)

We keep the soil beds moist at all times to keep it bearably cool for her in the heat of summer. She has managed remarkably well and we are having loads of fun with her :)

* Idli is a popular south Indian dish like rice cakes mainly had for breakfast with some gravy or chutneys.

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Dexy!

Meet Dexy :) She is a lovely dog rescued by us last week from a parking lot. She is beautiful, with a very sweet temperament . Our maid room has been yet again used to house another pet for the initial days of observation for infections, or any issues. Now she is inside the house and gets along ok with Sandy :) I am advertising for a permanent home & family in Doha to adopt her. Do drop a line if anyone is interested in providing a loving home for her. QAWS as usual is full and unable to take her in. Sadly they are not available to even pick up stray animals in need anymore. We had to take Dexy to the vet and make sure she was doing ok, got her all vaccinations and fostering her at the moment, which was all fine since she is a friendly dog. This might have been imposible had she been wounded badly or was not very friendly due to any bad experiences! Doha certainly needs more animal shelters and plenty of volunteers.

I am also afraid she might be pregnant! Will keep updating the blog to inform if we do have puppies soon at home :)

Pics from my backyard

Finally managed to capture this beautiful scene in my backyard :D

Summer suggestions in animal care

Dear fellow bloggers and friends,

Just thought of penning down a few suggestions for all of us to do our bit in caring for animals in summer:
1) Do put out a bowl of water for stray dogs, cats and birds in the hot summer. Anytime I see a stray or birds have a drink, it warms my heart
2) If you do have a pet, it is our responsibility to make sure he/she is not too hot at home, or outside. Pets can die of a heat stroke if you leave them out in the heat, especially in really hot places like India or the Gulf countries!
3) Just a handful of grains, rice or bird feed will be enough to attract a huge number of beautiful birds in your backyard and feed them for a good part of the day! It can even be some old bread in the fridge that you no longer will use; before you throw it away in the trash, next time please consider giving it to the birds or strays around
4) Ditto for extra milk or other foods at home; if milk is past the expiry date, please don't drain it into the sink! Put it out in a bowl for the strays. Same applies to left over bones in your plate if you are a non-vegetarian!
5) If you have a shaded place where strays can rest during the hot summer afternoons, pls let them rest there.

Just a few suggestions...imagine if this is done in every house! All the animals will thank you for your consideration, especially in the scorching summer heat :)
You are welcome to add your suggestions to this list if I have missed out any.

Lost cause!

Last week I tried to save a kitten and failed- my first failure to save a life after an attempt. The poor kitten was hit by a car and had severe bone related injuries. The vet said her leg would need to be amputated and she would still have severe complications. I myself had her euthanized immediately as I did not want her to suffer anymore! I often pride myself as a very strong person, but that day broke down and wept like a baby in front of stangers.....for a stray kitten I had known for a few minutes. I was so guilty the poor little soul had suffered such great pain for God knows how long on the side of the road. Where is the person who hit her? How can they sleep at night or look themselves in the mirror?

I am on antibiotics with little use of one of my fingers in my right hand as she bit me during my attempts to save her from the road. Her last mark in this world is now on my finger; fast healing!

Motor, the rescued kitten

Pics of a small little kitten DH and I rescued this weekend from a very busy traffic roundabout. She is now safe at Qatar Animal Welfare Society (QAWS) :-)
DH had named her 'Motor' due to her heavy happy purring sound anytime she was stroked :D

Our dearest Dippy

This weekend we lost our oldest and dearest pet Dippy. He was 11 years old and was one of the most loving, caring & gentle creatures anyone can find. I can’t believe that he is gone. I can’t come to terms with not having seen him one last time, not being there when he needed me, not being able to kiss him goodbye, not having been able to give him a personal sendoff, although my dear parents gave him everything. He was my life as long as I was in India; I named him “Dipstick” (because his tail looked like one) which became Dippy, Dipsy etc., ; I walked him every morning, bathed him, played with him and thought of him during the day in college many times. All my friends knew him at least from my stories and I know will mourn with me today for the loss. Many of the other friends I made were because of him, during our many morning walks in the beach. He kept me active, inspired and he was the first pet who managed to come home and stayed for the next 11 years! How many memories, our sweet Dippy has given us! For all of those our family is eternally grateful to him. Today he lays buried respectfully in our farmland and my mother firmly believes he will protect us still there.

My darling Dippy, I still can’t believe that you won’t come bouncing with joy next time I come home; that I won’t be able to stroke your soft beautiful hair……rest in peace my love. You were, are and will always be much loved and your memories cherished. You made our lives complete. Love you always.