Pepper

My name is Pepper.

I'm a little boy, just five months old - and already, the lone survivor of my entire family. Stick around, and I'll tell you the whole sad tale. It's the best kind of sad story though - the kind with a happy ending that is even now being written…

Dedicated volunteers with an amazing animal rescue team that ISDF works with in New Delhi received an urgent call one day approximately five months ago. Our mother had given birth to us in a parking garage in a territory inhabited by a large street dog colony. All that was left of our litter by then were four two-week-old puppies. 

She had cared lovingly for us for the first week and a half, but then mysteriously vanished. Mama was never seen again, and we continue to fear the worst.

Almost five days passed and we - helpless newborns - were near death and starvation, despite other dogs in the colony and some human intervention, all trying to offer us some help. That's when the call to Desi Furries Worldwide was made. 

Volunteer Isobel responded immediately to the appeal for help, asking Aarti from Happy Paws to pick us up and seek immediate medical attention with a nearby veterinarian. We were barely clinging to life - and our weakest sibling sadly died the following day. However, my two sisters and I responded well to medical attention and nurturing at the hands of kind-hearted Aarti. Here she is loving me up! 

For the next few weeks, it seemed we were thriving enough to survive. Tragically, at six weeks of age, my sisters - who were never quite as strong as me - passed away.

I missed my sisters so much after they were gone…and I was all alone.

Another month passed and I was now a healthy, happy boy. 

I was adopted locally to a home here in New Delhi but unfortunately there were signs right from the start that the home was a poor match for me. Their apartment was tiny and I love to stretch my legs and play. I had lived with other puppies, like my pal Ladlee (her equally-tragic story will be told very soon as she, too, is coming to the USA in the not-so-distant future!) but now I had no playmates to roll and tumble and bound about with. My new family did own a guinea pig, which they thought I would like as a playmate - but to be honest, I was more interested in pouncing on this interesting critter than I was in playing with him. It didn't take long for them to see the writing on the wall either - on just day two, I was returned to the organization.

I found myself back in the lovely farm home of Sonia and Dieter, volunteers who foster so many of us on our way to our future forevers. Ladlee, my puppy friend, was just as thrilled to be reunited with me as I was to see her. We continue to kick up our heels together, playing, racing, and chasing - around here, the favorite game is "catch me if you can"! 

We are also buddied up with many other foster companions of various sizes and ages, and we are social with them all. I am a dynamo when it comes to playtime with other pups - but I am a pussycat when it comes to people. I want to be held, I want to be cuddled, and I want to share your company, no matter what boring old thing (or exciting thing!) that we happen to be doing! And most of all - I want to dispense many kisses upon you (not to brag, but I am kind of a professional at that job)!

I am now approximately five months old and though I am only 20 lbs, I am gaining weight quickly. My color is changing too, so I'm not quite as pepper-y as I was when volunteer Meredith named me. 

She called me Pepper and my sisters were dubbed Coriander and Chili - all of us named in honor of lovely Indian spices. Now Meredith and all my other New Delhi friends hope I will honor the memory of my sisters by living a long, wonderful life, safe in the USA.

Won't you help us make this dream come true?

For more information about fostering or adopting Pepper, please contact Dawn Trimmel at (414) 426-4148.

* * * * *

The Desi Dogs of Delhi

Over a quarter of a million street dogs - possibly even many more than that - call Delhi, India home. These desi dogs coexist among Delhi's 22 million human residents - and both humans and dogs must constantly walk a fragile, precarious line drawn between them to keep the uneasy peace between the species.

Until the day a widely-implemented program is put into place - one with the cornerstones of mass sterilization to reduce street dog numbers; vaccination to protect both dogs and humans from disease; and adoption/responsible pet ownership or street dog guardianship in the intervening years before sterilization naturally dwindles the dog overpopulation problem (for example, for dogs who would not do well in a domestic setting such as a home, there may be neighborhood communities that can commit to feeding and watching over their local packs) - there will be no easy answers to the desi dog problem.

Fortunately, there are two amazing veterinarians - the Drs. Choudhary - who are committed to helping address the Indian street dog issue at its very grassroots. Their dedication and hard work are phenomenal. Together, they have helped to rehabilitate and re-home many of these deserving dogs around the world. And by spaying and neutering, feeding, and medically treating hundreds of desi dogs, they have made lives better for many, many needy dogs.

Here is a link to a Facebook page called Desi Furries Worldwide that provides a wealth of information and many lovely updates about adopted Indian street dogs helped by the Drs. Choudhary. Additionally, here is a link to an informative article written last year and entitled A Better Life for Desi Dogs. It explains the plight of India's street dogs, and showcases the important role that this husband-and-wife veterinary team have played in improving the lives of so many needy dogs.

Thank you so much for your interest and support!

Two Moms - One Big Happy Family

We are one big happy family - 

in urgent need.

ISDF was recently contacted by its wonderful rescue partners in India, the Drs. Choudhary, about US - a quirky little family in desperate need that was discovered not far from the Choudharys' home. 

We are two friendly, outgoing mama dogs, obviously nursing, who were often seen coming to and from one of New Delhi's many garbage dumps that dot the city's landscape. Here, you can see us both - Mama #1, Elsa and Mama #2, Anna (yes, we kind of look like twins) having a quick catnap after a meal of garbage, before heading back to the dump we call home.

 

Both of us loved to meet and greet all passersby with friendly overtures, but then we would always make our way back to the dump time and again, after foraging for nutrition for ourselves before returning to our collective babies.

The Drs. Choudhary and their rescue partners followed us back to our so-called 'home' one day. 

Here, they found three young puppies eagerly awaiting our return...

 As it turns out, we had between us just three surviving puppies. Sadly, no one knows how many there once were, nor what happened to the missing siblings of both of our litters.

Temperatures in New Delhi have been dropping rapidly at night and the only chance for survival was canine cooperation. So we miracle moms teamed up, and together, we have been working hard to keep our trio of tiny survivors safe from both cold and starvation. 

Both of us have actively nursed all three babies, without a care for which were of our flesh and which were not. And we took turns keeping them warm and safe - one of us would forage for sustenance outside the dump while the other stayed behind to protect our precious pups from harm.

"Come one, come all!" I seem to be saying in this photo.

When New Delhi experienced temperature lows well beyond their norm, the Drs. Choudhary could not find it in their hearts to leave our little family of five to fend for ourselves or possibly freeze. They took us under their wing.

Both of us and all three of our babies have now been vaccinated, dewormed, and groomed. We are quite young ourselves, and our babies are all around 3 - 4 months old.

Meet our babies…

Peanut

"Hello! I'm Peanut, a little boy. We think I am the only surviving pup of my litter and I may be a week or two younger than my sisters. I look a little like a yellow Labrador Retriever puppy. I am crate-trained and housebroken and always do my business when am taken outside for walkies - which I LOVE! I'm very gentle and quiet. I'm initially shy in new surroundings, though once I settle in - I love to play! I adore stuffed toys, kind gentle human company, and of course, roughhousing with my siblings!"

 

Princess

"Hello! I am Princess, a little girl. We think I am blood sisters with Olaf. I am dual-coloured and have a super-soft coat. I am very energetic and happy and love to play! I am crate-trained and housebroken. I am fairly independent but would love human affection and attention! I prefer having company at all times and may do well paired with another playmate. I also love to cuddle up and sleep. I'm a very happy baby!"

Olaf

"Hello! I'm Olaf, a little girl. We think I am blood sisters with Princess. I am adorable, and very friendly and gentle! I'm a good girl who tries not to chew too much in my home. I am crate-trained and housebroken. I absolutely LOVE human company - I simply cannot get enough!"

We are three playful, innocent fourteen-week-old puppies.
And we are the tragic by-products of India's street dog epidemic.

Delhi, the national capital of India, is a city teeming with life. Its human population alone stands at 22 million. It is estimated that over 260,000 homeless desi (local/common) street dogs call Delhi home.

Although the killing of desi dogs has been prohibited for the past decade, no concurrent comprehensive sterilization programs have been put into place by the government.
So the population of desi dogs continues to swell...

Enter our little family.

The garbage dump where we lived was dangerous. Hundreds of resident dogs already called it home.
Yes - hundreds.
Desi dogs daily shelter in dumps all over the city. They sleep under sharp, rusted car and machine parts, and breathe noxious fumes day and night. They walk on broken glass and are constantly exposed to hazardous materials. Territorial skirmishes are not uncommon, and drinkable water is scarce.
This was they type of place into which we were born into.

We cannot go back! 

Please!!

We are too friendly and have been in foster care too long now to fend for ourselves anymore.

But there is a shortage of homes for us in our native country, so there are just two alternatives at this point: return us all to the dump, or find adoptive families for us overseas. 

Given our sweet, loving natures, all five of us are hardly likely candidates for long-term survival on the streets as you can see by this video of both of us affectionate mamas:

So we are all coming here to the USA to look for foster or forever homes in late January.

ISDF is committed to a number of dogs as this new year kicks off - but how could they say no to us amazing and sweet street dog survivors? 

Now we are reaching out to YOU to ask if you can help us…

Please help ISDF help us!

- Please consider sharing our story far and wide as we hunt for new homes!

- Please consider fostering, or even adopting, one of us!

- Please think about a donation of any kind - every dollar counts! - to ISDF's 501(c)3 non-for-profit so that they will be able to fully fund spay and neuter surgeries for all three of us little ones, as well as our continuing vaccinations, dewormings, and other costs associated with young puppies.

- Please visit ISDF at www.istreetdog.com where you will find more information about us and other dogs in desperate need that are currently being helped, and for a link to ISDF's PayPal donation site.

Thank you!

For more information about fostering or adopting one or more of the members of our lovely little family, please contact Dawn Trimmel at (414) 426-4148.

* * * * *

The Desi Dogs of Delhi

Over a quarter of a million street dogs - possibly even many more than that - call Delhi, India home. These desi dogs coexist among Delhi's 22 million human residents - and both humans and dogs must constantly walk a fragile, precarious line drawn between them to keep the uneasy peace between the species.

Until the day a widely-implemented program is put into place - one with the cornerstones of mass sterilization to reduce street dog numbers; vaccination to protect both dogs and humans from disease; and adoption/responsible pet ownership or street dog guardianship in the intervening years before sterilization naturally dwindles the dog overpopulation problem (for example, for dogs who would not do well in a domestic setting such as a home, there may be neighborhood communities that can commit to feeding and watching over their local packs) - there will be no easy answers to the desi dog problem.

Fortunately, there are two amazing veterinarians - the Drs. Choudhary - who are committed to helping address the Indian street dog issue at its very grassroots. Their dedication and hard work are phenomenal. Together, they have helped to rehabilitate and re-home many of these deserving dogs around the world. And by spaying and neutering, feeding, and medically treating hundreds of desi dogs, they have made lives better for many, many needy dogs.

Here is a link to a Facebook page called Desi Furries Worldwide that provides a wealth of information and many lovely updates about adopted Indian street dogs helped by the Drs. Choudhary. Additionally, here is a link to an informative article written last year and entitled A Better Life for Desi Dogs. It explains the plight of India's street dogs, and showcases the important role that this husband-and-wife veterinary team have played in improving the lives of so many needy dogs.

Thank you so much for your interest and support!