Frances Hamilton

Erin Bishop's lovely tricolor Indy has appeared in our Facebook INDog Club.

I asked Erin to tell us her story for this blog:



I really, really wanted to get a dog of my own, and my boyfriend needed some persuasion. I was constantly looking for puppies on Petfinder, and researching breeds. I would barrage him with puppy photos, and beg and plead with him but he always said no.

Then, and I remember the exact moment and where we were (driving in the car on British Columbia's 'Sunshine Coast') when I showed him a puppy photo that broke through and melted his heart. This was the photo:

Above: This is Frances at approximately 12 weeks, taken by her foster family in Delhi
I had been searching for a whippet when I came across AAIDD (Adopt an Indian Desi Dog), a rescue organization based near our hometown of Vancouver, BC, which brings puppies over from Delhi for adoption in Canada. I had been in contact with Barb at AAIDD and this was one of many photos she had forwarded my way since we first spoke. With my 30th birthday approaching, we went out to meet Frances, and the rest was history - there was no coming home without that sweet little pup!!



Above: Frances with her four sisters. She's the one in the middle. All five are now living in Vancouver.



Above: One of our cats checks out Frances on the first day we had her home
Frances, or Frankie as we call her more often, adapted to big city life pretty quickly. She is a great apartment dog since she sleeps a lot while indoors, probably because she gets a lot of exercise enjoying the best of Vancouver, from rainforest trails to beaches to the seawall and dog park that are just minutes from our front door.



Above: Napping is important to Frankie



Above: Frankie with me at the beach - a little older


Above: Frankie now lives in the Vancouver Athletes Village from the 2010 Olympics


Above: One ear goes up, at 6 months of age



Above: More napping...



Above: We walk often in Pacific Spirit Park - the rainforest!



Above: I am a part time dog walker, so Frankie comes out with the pack to walk through the forest



Above: Ready to go for a run with mum



Above: At the local off-leash lake area



Above: Frances, Rob and Nigel the cat

Above: Frances at 1 year

Above: Frankie and Daisy



Above: Rob walking Frances walking Daisy



Above: Frankie playing with Willis (another Desi from AAIDD and Frankie's best bud) at the beach, Vancouver in the background

Above: One of Frankie's best friends is a Goldendoodle named 'Archie' - here they are cuddling at the dog park



Above: Frances getting pet!



Above: Frances and another Desi pup we met at the park - Xola



Above: Frances in her sweater, getting ready to head out for a walk



Above: I love this one. Frances backstage with my band, she hung out in the dressing room while we performed
Life with a Desi is a lot different than life with a more human-focused breed like a lab, or border collie. Desis are extremely smart (they had to be in order to survive on the streets), resourceful and cunning. Frankie can be downright manipulative at times which is both frustrating and endearing.

With the help of a trainer, we have learned to be the type of owners that Frankie needs, with assertiveness, structure and rules, and our relationship has become very rewarding.

To bond with an animal that is so close to wild is truly a special thing. She is a very quick learner, very playful and energetic, and very very fast! She is a cuddler - extremely affectionate and loving, and overall just has so much personality it's hard to imagine ever having as much fun with a different breed.

Frankie in the fall leaves


Above: We carved a pumpkin of Frances' face at Halloween, based on the photo on the left

She is a great running companion, and a great 'staying in to watch a movie' companion. She is a guard dog, and a lap dog. She is just about 15 months now, and we can't imagine our lives without her!

Photos and story: Erin Kathleen Bishop
Vancouver,
Canada
The black-and-white photo at the top of this post was taken at a pet-friendly hotel in Victoria BC.

Please do not use images or content from this site without permission and acknowledgment

A martial arts demo

Freeze-frames from the action-packed lives of Begum and Lola.


Above: Ninjas!



Above: A little freestyle wrestling!

The lucky owner of these fiery red sisters is Cara Tejpal, INDog lover, wildlife lover and conservationist. Read Begum and Lola's puppy post here.



Above: Harassing Astro, Cara's ten-year old lab+beagle mix. The beautiful black dog in the background is Dharma.



Above: Showing their softer side! The sisters babysitting a cute little INpuppy Cara is fostering. They are gentle and accepting with babies of all species - not necessarily with adults though!

Photos: Cara Tejpal
Delhi
Please do not use content or images from this site without permission and acknowledgment

LTPM dog as Thai dog prototype

This is an interesting article I found during a net search on Khun Thong Daeng, favourite pet of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Thong Daeng was born a street pup and gifted to the King. She's a perfect pariah-type dog with the same appearance as aboriginal dogs around the world (long-term pariah morphotype/LTPM).

Her royal owner has even written a book about her that became a bestseller in Thailand. Read about it here (column on the right of the main text).







Link directly to the article: Khun Thong Daeng as prototype of Thai dogs.

Mia means Mine

As a rule I don't post stories about urban dogs that aren't pets, but I'm making an exception in this case, to show the sad plight of ownerless city dogs. Displaced by welfare organizations that are supposed to be helping them; vulnerable and always unsafe in every way.

Meenakshee Soman, owner of Felix, wrote this touching story about a friendship found and lost.

Some months back on my daily walk with Felix (my faithful companion), a street dog accompanied us. On returning home I gave her water and some heavy petting…It was a female dog. She stayed in our colony for the next four days and then vanished..I looked around for her but in vain..

And on another such walk, in the parallel lane, suddenly a bundle of joy jumped on me and she was found. Again she followed us home and ever since then stayed in our colony.

She got a name (Mia) and vaccination. She was already spayed by the Municipality and released wrongly in our area.

She was hungry for love and a big foodie too...




But she was so loyal that in spite of staying on the street, she always preferred love and loyalty over food.

Whenever I would walk anywhere, no matter how far it was, she used to accompany me. She would be tired sometimes but she never left my side. She did not expect food from me, just needed some love and acceptance.

The best times were when she came with me to the railway station. The first time it happened, I had to come all the way home to drop her back to the colony. But my dad said she is a dog, she can come home without you. Next time I thought of trying it out and before I could even finish sending a text to my dad, she was home. It’s at least a 10 minute walk from the station to my place, on a busy street full of street dog 'pockets' in between. But she used to brave all that just to be with me. She became the Indian Hachiko.

For the last couple of months it wasn't just me but even the regular shopkeepers and people that I visit who had gotten used to her being with me all the time. She and Felix formed a racket and in turn a very strong bond. Felix did not like anyone saying anything to her or even shooing her away. In turn she tried to get the street dogs friendly towards Felix. She would just get into any unknown street dog group and try to bully them, getting into trouble at times. Then I was supposed to rescue her!

She also had a right to Felix’s food. She would come home and just have his food!





Initially she used to sleep a lot when she came home. But later she would come home, stay for a while, eat and then want to go back to the road. It was clear she didn't want to be restricted and missed her freedom on the road. She was a happy dog.



She had two boyfriends, Felix at home and Milo on the road. When Felix spotted something fishy on the street he would alert them and they would then chase out the suspicious-looking person or dog.

They were the ones that barked when a cycle was stolen from our society. But as usual mankind paid no heed to their barking.

And when all was going well it abruptly came to an end without any notice. On the night of 5th March, after her feeding session, she went missing. No one saw her after that night.

As usual I looked for her; but then there is no nearby area from which she can't return. After all she has come with me almost up to 1 - 3.5 km radius of my house.

No inquiry yielded any result.

We thought that maybe someone had taken her home but it's been days and she is missed and remembered every day. No one greets me each time I leave and come back, right at my society gate. No one accompanies me any longer. And it’s just Felix and me on our night walks.

It feels so lonely without her. With her abundant love and faithfulness, she left a lasting mark on our lives. Felix and Milo are missing her terribly, with Felix going cranky and Milo sad.

She showed that one doesn’t need money or lots of time to create lasting and positive memories.

Here’s hoping that she is well and will return home soon safe and sound.



Story and photos: Meenakshee Soman
Thane

INDog article in Woof mag

I meant to post this two months ago, when Woof mag published it! Well, better late than never.

Click on the images to enlarge and read.

Constructive feedback welcome.

Pups for adoption, Pune

An appeal forwarded by Saloni Kapur:

These pups were born to a pet Indy kept at a farmhouse. If anyone would like to adopt them, please contact Dr Lochana Baney on 9823057399.













Pune

Slaughterhouse: Nothing survives the wrath of King Kiba

A terribly violent movie made in Kiba's baby days. Clicked by Kiran with phone, excuse the blurry quality.

What a cute puppy Kibby was, muahh. The mallard survived by the way.



Video and title: Kiran Khalap
Mumbai

Beautiful mix-breed pups for adoption - Delhi

Please share this appeal from Rubina (Delhi):

These are all beautiful, healthy and active pups that are about 10 weeks old. With people's general tendency to run after foreign breeds, the poor li'l stray pups attract only hatred from the supposed dog breed lovers. I hope someone out there is a true animal lover, instead of being a "breed lover", and is able to help get these pups adopted.The picture of each of the 5 pups is attached.

Should you wish to, you may also call at 9871379067 (Jyoti) or 9717277974 (Rubina) any time between 9:00 am to 11:00 am or 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, for more information.



Above: Female



Above: Female



Above: Female



Above: Male



Above: Male



Above: Male



Above: Female

Contact: 9871379067 (Jyoti), 9717277974 (Rubina)
9 - 11 a.m., 4 - 8 p.m.
rubinyq@gmail.com

Delhi