About Me

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Mumbai, India
I'm a landrace dog fancier. Founder of the INDog Project (www.indog.co.in) and the INDog Club. Before that, I worked with urban free-ranging dogs of Mumbai from 1993-2007. Also a spider enthusiast and amateur arachnologist.

This blog is for primitive dog enthusiasts. It is part of the INDog Project www.indog.co.in. Only INDogs (India's primitive indigenous village dogs) and INDog-mixes (Indies) are featured here. The two are NOT the same, do please read the text on the right to understand the difference. Our aim: to create awareness about the primitive landrace village dog of the Indian subcontinent. I sometimes feature other landrace breeds too. Also see padsociety.org

Friday, May 23, 2014

Arrow






















We've had many moving adoption stories this month and here is another one. 

This sweet INDog-mix was born on the streets of Delhi and flown to the US by a rescue group. 

His first six months of life were full of changes and stress...till he finally found his very own home with Shelby Amador Nava and Aiden.































Arrow's story, by Shelby:

A few months ago, my son and I decided it was time to adopt a new family member. My son is 10 years old and an only child. After making the decision to adopt, we searched. We looked in kennels, rescue groups, Craiglist and had an innate belief that we would just know when we had found him or her. It wasn't about finding a particular breed, or selecting something cute. It was about finding the one. The one dog who could watch over us but still snuggle. The one who my son could call his best friend and I could call our trusted companion.

After a couple of months of searching we found him. A local rescue group had his picture on their website, and before we read his little summary, we knew he was the one. The rescue group had categorized him as a lab-mix, but I was sceptical about that. They said he had come from India, that he was good with other pets and children, but that was about it. 

I immediately filled out the adoption application. I knew he belonged with us and I made the commitment to do whatever I could to bring him home.


A photo sent to us the day before he arrived
































































After many long emails we finally had the chance to meet him. He came home and immediately snuggled up with my son and slept, and slept, and slept. 

He had a look of relief and appreciation, as if he knew we were his forever family.

When going through all the paperwork, I discovered he had been rescued at just a few days old, and left at a vet in New Delhi. A rescue group paid for his medical care and flew him to the US when he was three months old. He spent a couple of weeks in shelters; then went to a foster home where he was exposed to parvo virus. He was then quarantined for six weeks. He then went to two more fosters in a week's time before he finally came to us. By now he was already almost six months old. 

After much research, and a trip to the vet, it appears that he is a pariah dog. Though he may be mixed the pariah seems to be dominant. 

He had been born as a street pup, flown across the world, spent time from kennel to kennel and foster to foster. Now he is finally home. 

He has a best dog friend and a loving family.

He has blessed us and I truly believe his journey to us was destiny.

He is amazing. He is so smart, and so thankful for us. He loves his walks in town, on the beach, or at the river. He loves following my son and his friends everywhere and seems to take special pride in watching over the children in our lives.

He is happy. He is healthy. He is a blessing. He is home.
























































































Photos and story: Shelby Amador Nava
USA

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4 comments:

piyali said...

what a heartwarming story! Bless you Shelby!

Unknown said...

Thank you! We are very blessed. Blessings to you too. :)

Samir said...

may god bless all of you and wish you all a wonderful life ahead with arrow :)
samir

Unknown said...

Thank you so much. We are beyond thankful for him, and we are very blessed with the ability to connect with wonderful people and learn more. Blessings to you