My sister was looking after a litter and the mom outside her office. Chhoti was the sharpest and shrewdest of the puppies, just like her mom, Lily. One day, she got run over very badly by a vehicle. One leg was completely crushed and the other was injured, but thankfully, not as serious.
I was traveling for work when my sister called me. She was wailing about her bleeding puppy, who she was taking to the vet. Luckily, they were able to save her, even though the injuries were severe. The doctors decided not to amputate her leg and to try and save it. This meant daily dressings at the vet’s clinic.
We decided to keep her on my terrace, with the househelp till I was back in town. At this point, she was a rescue. There was no thought of adopting her. I was going to work with the pup, and when she was well enough, I would put her up for adoption. But my plans had no meaning.
When I returned, I went to the terrace. Dopey followed me. He sniffed her and was gentle, making the puppy completely comfortable. We let them play for a bit on the terrace, I thought it would be good to socialize Dopey. Until now, I had no idea that Dopey was the most caring and loving puppy himself. He was just about a year old and we had not really socialized him with other dogs.
When it was time to go back inside the house, Dopey invited the puppy to join him downstairs. He took her straight to his food and water bowl, let her nibble a little and then took her to his bed, a large, comfy mattress that he shared with her. I was so surprised by his behavior. And, I was a rather proud mommy. Though I was still in denial about adopting a second dog.
And the rest is history. I had little role in her joining my family. All I did was to name her Chhoti, (the younger one), a common Indian name for younger siblings.
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