The first three weeks of April were rather quiet. I would call it the 'calm before the storm'. Choti, the abandoned dog we had adopted a few months ago (Read the blog post on that by clicking here) had become pregnant in late February. She had come on heat some days ago. Thanks to the internet I could check out my suspicions in this matter and confirm my guess that she was ready for mating and conceiving. Inspite of my best efforts she and a stray mated. I had left her alone in the verandah for a few minutes and I had forgotten to lock the small gate which gave access to the verandah. This was enough for the stray dog who had been following us since I had taken Choti for her morning walk. If I needed a demonstration on the power of pheromones this was it. A few days later Choti was not in heat anymore and everything seemed to have slipped into 'normal' mode. I prayed that her mating did not lead to conception and pregnancy.

But I was wrong. She had indeed become pregnant. Her swelling tummy and teats which were growing more prominent by the day confirmed that our Choti would be a mother soon. I looked up sites related to the pregnancy of dogs and found out that the gestation period in dogs was something like 63 days. I talked to a young veterinary doctor who told me not to worry. He said that it was very rare that the female needed help while delivering pups. "Just make sure she gets a quiet corner all to herself when the time comes," he told me. "She will take care of everything herself," he added, "she will even eat the placenta. And that won't harm her any. Just make sure that she gets plenty of nutrition in the days leading to the birth and immediately after she gives birth." My mother had no idea of Choti's condition till I told her the 'good' news. As expected she was horrified. I do not blame her. She has been looking after my father who is ill since the last eight years.

As the days went by Choti's pregnancy became more and more obvious. I stopped taking her for morning walks towards the end of her pregnancy. As a heat wave was on during the last week of April I did not want to keep her in the shade outdoors as it was impossible to find a spot which had good shade throughout the day. Plus this was my first 'pregnancy', if I may put it that way, so I didn't want to take any risks. Much against my mother's wishes I kept her indoors but out of the way. On the night of the 24th of April I happened to leave her inside my study. When I woke up in the morning I realised that she had chewed the power cord of the speakers attached to the computer and also the power cord of the modem. Un easiness and possibly labour pains may have made her do it. I couldn't even get angry at her as she looked at me with her innocent looking eyes.

For most of 25th April she spent the hours of the day in a bathroom. I kept her there throughout the night. When I woke up she was still single and pregnant. I left her in the study again for a few hours on the 26h evening. When I returned after a few hours she had become a mother. She had given birth to seven pups. I had miscalculated regarding the time of birth. In the agony of giving birth she had chewed the telephone cables!!! My mother was horrified and rightly so. I pretended that this was something I faced every day and assured her that I would set things right."In any case we are using mobile phones more than the landline," I told her, "and all our near and dear ones know our mobile phone numbers too." If she agreed with my logic she did not show any sign of it.

Over the next few days I was the only person who went near Choti and the pups. Her trust in me was total. Not once did she growl when I touched her children. I used hospital spirit, dettol and hot water and cleaned the floor of the study. Over the next few days I shifted the pups to a bathroom attached to a spare bedroom. My 'books walla' room. I used bricks to create a barricade to ensure that the pups did not come into the room from the wash-basin area just outside the small bathroom whose door I kept open to facilitate free movement. My mother was surprised that Choti let me lift and transport her pups to another room.

I do not know how the weeks went by. But the pups gradually grew up and gained strength. I wish now that I had kept a formal diary. I do not remember when it was that they started walking. Soon they started crossing the brick barricade and straying into the bedroom full of books. It is an untidy room. But I had promised my mother that I wouldn't let it get dirty. Disinfectant, old newspapers and hot water ensured that the room was never unhygienic. But I was really stressed out. My sleep cycle went for a six as I would clean the room daily after midnight as I couldn't find spare time during the 'premium' daylight hours.

Pup number one, a male, left at four weeks of age. On a Sunday I had gone to the nearby village of Gawli Palasiya to call on my childhood classmate Vishnu Patidar and his family. When I told Vishnu about the pups he called his son Achal and asked him whether he would like a pup. Achal jumped with joy at the offer. We drove to my house and Achal chose a male which was black and yellow-brown in colour. Though I would have liked the pup to stay on for a few more weeks I did not hesitate in sending it to a good home as I could see that Choti was finding it difficult to feed seven pups. And I and my mother were also finding it rather strenuous to take care of such a large number of pups who had started consuming increasing quantities of milk and rotis every day.

I sent an email to Maneka Gandhi after getting her email id from a newspaper column she writes. She repplied back saying she couldn't promise she would be able to help me find homes for the pups. She did give me the contact number of a person in Indore who could possibly help. Like other well wishers she too suggested that I get Choti sterilised. I couldn't agree more as I had been baby sitting seven pups for four weeks.

I decided to give an ad in the classified section of the Indore edition of the Free Press. This move paid dividends. The person whom I rang to book the ad ("Healthy, mixed-breed pups available at no charge. Born on April 26. Interested dog lovers may contact xxxxx xxxxx" ) a Mr. Agarwal said that he would like to take the remaining male pup. It was a black pup with a fluffy coat. His relatives in Mhow came and took it away in a spacious basket lined with an old bedsheet. The pup was transported by a Bajaj scooter to Indore, roughly 25-30 kms away. When I last spoke to Mr Agarwal he told me that the pup was doing well and it had won the hearts of all at his home. Pup number two gone. That left five. All females. And the response so far had shown that most people did not want female pups.

I received a few phone calls. One was from a young boy in Bhopal, more than 200 kms away, he wanted to know whether I was really giving the pups aqway for free. When I said yes he asked me whether I had any pomeranians. I had to disappoint him. He sounded so sweet I wanted to help him out. But I knew I couldn't as I didn't know anyone who had pomeranian pups. Some people who rang up said they wanted pure breed pups. Didn't they read my ad properly, I wondered.

My friend Anurag and his wife Archana came over in the middle of the seventh week and took a female pup. They have named it Kelly and it is now winning the hearts of all who live at their farm. That left four female pups at home. We were happy that the three who went had gone to good homes. I had decided that I would do my best to ensure that each pup found a good home.

On a Sunday when the eighth week had begun I received a telephone call from Indore. It was a person named Avadhesh who had seen the classified ad. He said he wanted a mixed breed pup. I told him I had just the thing he wanted. He wanted to know whether female pups would make good guard dogs. "Oh, they are far better than males," I said very knowingly. He said he would consult his uncle, a veterinary doctor, who had recommended he keep mixed breed dogs and then get back to me. He was true to his word. He rang me back a few minutes later and told me that he would like to take a pup. He said his uncle would also be accompanying him. He was expected between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

A few minutes later I received a phone call from a Mrs. Misra an academician based in Indore . She was also keen to adopt a female pup. She said she was happy that I was giving them away for free. I told her that I wanted these girls to get good houses for themselves. She said that as she and her husband lived in Indore she wasn't sure when they could come and pick a pup. I told her about Avadesh and gave her his number. She rang him up and he readily agreed to carry one pup to the Misras in Indore.

Avadesh, his wife and son and daughter along with his uncle Dr. Tiwari were at our place by 11 a.m. They fell in love with the pups who were out of their room and were waiting for them. My mother had given them an extra meal of milk and rotis. And they had lapped it up. Dr. Tiwari took each pup and started explaining small points about them which a lay person would never know. The pups inspite of being mixed breed with desi strain showed a good amount of labrador characteristics. Avadesh and his wife decided to take two pups instead of the one they had planned. Their children were very happy. Dr. Tiwari told me that one of his colleagues had lost her pet dog a few days ago and he would like to take one pup for her. Before we knew it all four pups were booked. After talking for some time they picked up the pups and left. The pups were placed in the 'boot' of their car just behind the rear seat. I clicked a few pictures. I was happy, relieved and sad.

After they left my friend's son Chaitanya rang up. He had promised to help me find good homes for these pups. He had even promised to pick up one pup. This was sweet of him as he had just adopted a dalmatian-desi pup a couple of months ago. When he heard that all the pups were gone he was sad. But he was happy to learn that they had gone to good homes. "The next time Choti delivers pups you MUST give me one," he said. I smiled to myself. I couldn't even think of Choti delivering any more pups!!!

That evening Mrs. Misra rang up from Indore to tell me that Avadesh had handed over one pup to her. She said that they were very happy with the pup and she thanked me for taking good care of these pups for these weeks. The sincerity with which she spoke killed all the fatigue which had accumulated over seven weeks.
Over the remaining days I received many a phone call to enquire about the pups. These calls were from small towns in Malwa. And the callers were invariably disappointed to learn that there were no more pups available. One of them, a gentleman from a small town named Shujalpur, wanted to know when he should call again. I wanted to laugh and cry. But I told him to try after six months. Hopefully CHoti will be sterilised by then.

When the first three pups had gone Choti had not noticed. Or she was relieved. The pups had been too much for her to handle. As their teeth had emerged her teats were bleeding due to bites. I had kept her away from her pups for a few days till her wounds healed. The pups were given extra quantities of milk-roti or milk-rice during this period. When the last four pups left there was total silence and a vaccuum in the house. We had now only one dog and three cats left. Choti moped around for a few days. She was lactating so that made it worse. It is now ten days since the pups have left and Choti has not restless any more. Her milk has dried and she is reverting back to her pre-pregnancy naughtiness.

The fact that I have been able to write this rather long blog post means that I have recovered from the fatigue which had accumulated over the weeks. It was an interesting but tiring period. I could hardly post any blogs. I was able to write emails but sitting for long periods on the word processor was out. I am glad that I had insisted that I would spare neither money nor energy in my efforts to get good houses for the pups. I am thankful to the many friends who helped me out. And to my mother for tolerating my eccentricity and for cooking food for the pups.


A few pictures of this period:


Choti with the pups when they were a week old. I can see only six here.




My friend Vishnu with the first pup to go.




Vishnu's son Achal is very happy with the pup he has chosen. He named it Ranger. He has promised his parents that he will study hard and get good grades as well as look after the pup properly.





The last four remaining pups enjoy their last meal just before they were taken to Indore on Sunday 15 June.



Dr. Tiwari with two of the four remaining pups. The black-brown one was a very sweet one I used to call 'Chutki' and the brown one was a rather nervous one I called 'Mutki'.