Star of Mysore

By Lynn Braz
As an American who spends a great deal of time in India, the most difficult cultural adjustment for me is witnessing the stray animals wandering the streets, emaciated and injured, grazing on garbage, looking lost and forlorn. So when I heard about Mysore’s People For Animals (PFA) organisation, I felt a surge of hope. After seeing the shelter and meeting its residents, my hope has turned into faith.


Animals, like people, are emotional, resilient beings. And with the medical services provided by People For Animals, many of Mysore’s homeless creatures are finding compassion and care that is helping them live happier, healthier lives.

Take Millie, an affectionate ancient black Labrador retriever whose toothless mouth always appears to be smiling. Abandoned at the shelter by her owners, without People For Animals’ care, Millie would have faced certain death on the streets from heat stroke or lack of water or dog pack mentality that preys on the old and weak. While Millie has clearly outlived her usefulness to her original owners, she’s become an invaluable asset to the shelter.


Having become pregnant — seemingly miraculously, given her age — Millie gave birth to a litter of two puppies. Super cute black puppies with stout, stubby faces that make Labradors look a bit like teddy bears. Nearly a week after Millie became a mother for perhaps the 20th time or more, a stray dog who had just given birth to a litter of five pups was hit by a car and died, orphaning her newborns on the side of a busy Mysore street. That’s when Millie came to the rescue, and what could have turned into a sad story became, instead, uplifting. [It may be recalled SOM had published an article titled ‘Labrador adopts orphaned puppies’ on Mar. 9]


Millie happens to be a superb milk producer and she’s putting that abundance of mother’s milk to excellent use. She has adopted all the orphan pups, who tumble together with Millie’s own pups. They’re all Millie’s pups now — one big, happy, well-fed brood.


By the time Mother’s Day rolls around on May 8th, most likely Millie will no longer be nursing her babies. She won’t receive cards or gifts. She won’t even have a clean, soft bed to curl up on. She’ll be one of the happiest moms in the world anyway. Maybe I’m anthropomorphising a dog, imagining human qualities in her that don’t exist. But I know that dogs, like people, need a purpose in life. And Millie’s purpose in this life is to set an example of what it means to be a good mother.


Back in the US, I live in San Francisco, a city notorious for loving animals. During the winter, our dogs wear cashmere sweaters. In the summer, they accompany us to outdoor cafes and are served filtered water in beautiful ceramic bowls. Shunning breeders and pet stores, most of us in the San Francisco Bay Area go to various animal shelters to adopt dogs. Millie’s adorable pups would be snatched up by dog lovers within days of being weaned, while Millie would likely be left behind. However, I get the distinct feeling that rather than feeling sad and lonely, Millie would be happy to know her babies will have a better life.


PFA has wonderful puppies, young adult dogs and older dogs that you can adopt. You can sponsor a dog by making a donation. To help the animals, call Mob: 9845654429.