Animal maternal love! A canine mother and her love for her puppies!

 

I was at my uncle’s place in Uttarakhand near the major domestic airport at Jolly Grant. In order to reach the main road, I used to take a shortcut that used to pass through the side of a hotel cum restaurant. After a few days of such crossing to the main road, my eyes chanced to fall on a dog that was in intense pain. She had just delivered puppies and two of them were alive. But all three of them had developed 'Mange skin disease'. It is a disease of the skin seen in dogs and is caused by a type of mite. There is intense itching with skin lesions and hair loss. The pruritic lesions also bleed at places and it is a great suffering for those infected.

Vet help dialled

Seeing the condition of this canine family of three, I was moved. I could imagine their suffering. If we have a little itching, for example after a mosquito bite, it is so intolerant. And these dogs had such extensive skin lesions. How much pain and suffering they might be feeling? My eyes teared up thinking about their pain. My heart felt for them and I decided to do something for them.

The selfless and loving mother dog (Source: Self)

I called a few vet centers in Dehradun that I could find on the internet. I sent emails to them but most of them remained unanswered. One of them replied that they have only cow shelter and do nothing for dogs. I kept trying until I got an email address of People for Animals. It was started by Maneka Gandhi in 1992. And I was happy with the immediate and great assistance that she offered for these animals. I salute her for her passion for animal welfare and care. Another local person named Gauri coordinated the vet arrangement and the dogs were given the needed treatment. And they started showing signs of improvement.

The ‘touching’canine maternal love  

As the dogs improved, the hotel boys and I used to provide some food for the dogs. Their itching got less and they became more active. They used to come prancing towards me and anyone else who used to feed them. The dogs used to be served non-vegetarian left-overs from the kitchen of the hotel. I being a vegetarian used to provide the dogs with biscuits. And I was touched by the great and immense love of the mother dog for her puppies!

Puppy 1 (Source: Self)

Also, read Colorful streaks on the side of Indian vehicles. Know what they are!!! 

Whenever I used to feed the mother dog, and the puppies are not around, she used to take the biscuits and eat them. And I used to give biscuits to the puppies separately. But I noticed that when the puppies were around and I put the biscuits for the mother dog, the puppies used to jump in between and try to take the biscuits. On seeing this, the mother dog used to not touch those biscuits and look at me for more biscuits. Every time, I put the biscuit for her, the puppies used to come in between and want to have them. And the mother would not touch the biscuits that her puppies are taking and again look at me for more portion of the biscuits.  I was overwhelmed.

Puppy 2, the weak and more infected one (Source: Self)

Here was an animal mother who was so concerned about her puppies and would not take their share of the food. One of the local shopkeeper and the hotel boys also told me that the canine mother every evening gets a loaf of bread from the local bakery in her mouth and puts it in front of her kids for them to eat. But she stays put by the side until the puppies finish the loaf of bread. They said that once a crow was hovering above while the puppies were having the loaf and the mother dog immediately got up and frightened the crow away so that her puppies could eat in peace.

Such great and true maternal love and understanding and attachment found in the animal kingdom! Thankfully, the animal mothers have not yet got corrupt with egos and selfishness that is so often seen in the human world and mothers these days!!!