The life of a street dog

Whiskey

Yesterday only Alpha, Nimba and Spritey came for dinner. I heard a dog crying but could not see her, assuming it was Whiskey. A couple and I located the crying noise under a car. If it is Whiskey she must be in bad shape not to join for dinner. It was dark so couldn't get a good look. Went home feeling helpless.

 

Next day I was showing Sue around and took her to see the puppies. Alpha and Nimba came running, no Spritey and no Whiskey. Suddenly we heard the dog cry, it was Whiskey at the front of the car. She could not get up. Assuming she got hit by a car or someone beat her with a stick. No blood but she was damaged. Luckily Sue is a dog lover also and she picked her up, I wouldn't be able to because of my shoulders, for the walk to the vet. She didn't show any signs of aggression. I held her head and snout as Sue lifted her into her arms. As we walked she kept looking back at her two brothers. Five minute walk to the vet. For Sue this seemed like two miles due to the weight of the dog. We laid her on the table and she didn't/couldn't move. She was so calm but aware of surroundings and didn't seem in too much pain. The vet examined her, when he pinched her rear paws Whiskey didn't even flinch concluding that she might have an injury in her spine. Vet was concerned but thought that with time and TLC she might be OK as her muscles in her legs worked. His recommendation was to care for her for a few days and see if she recovers. With my current living situation that is not possible. We asked that she be put to sleep. Very sad but she felt safe with sue and I. Earlier in the day Sue expressed her dislike of street dogs as it’s a horrible life for the dogs not being cared for. The vet said he could put her down as he believed that she could recover, he gave us the name of an animal NGO hospital and suggested that we call them. Sue was angry at the vets’ decision; she felt that Whiskeys life would be horrible with no one to care for her. Putting her back on the street was not an option. We carried her home, got a towel for her to lay on close to the door, gave her water and food which she ate eagerly, a good sign. Whiskey seemed content, wagged her tail when we petted her. Called Friendicoes, they said they would come get her. When they came they were very ruff in handling her, put her in the back of the truck on smelly newspaper with another, not too friendly looking dog. I can’t blame the workers as they are probably poorly paid and deal with aggressive difficult dogs. Off she went. It was sad as she went from being content on the towel and then thrown into the horrible unknown surroundings - a vehicle.

Happier times when they were all togheter
04 Sep 2012

I felt that we did the best we could with the situation, regardless, it was painful to see her being taken away.
I want to believe that at the center they will treat her kindly and help her recover.
Called the following day, they told me her identification number for future calls, that means she's there and being taken care of. A vet told me that she has a broken spinal column. He did not think she would make it through the day. I bet she will as she had the injuries for two days, even though she couldn't walk she had good spirits. The clinic has Visiting hours between 5-6:30 pm. They are located close to work so I hope to go tomorrow evening, if for nothing else to make a donation.

I will visit the puppies tonight to see how the others are doing and try to get a sense if they miss her.
Very sad. Maybe at home I could have taken her in and nursed her back to health as she is a sweet puppy, enjoyed being carried and appreciated the care we gave her last night (at least while she was with Sue and I).
Assuming she got hit very close to where she was hiding makes me angry at the person who was driving that fast. The life of a street dog is not valued and becomes a burden to society. Much work needs to be done for the street dogs, but there are TONS of issues needing attention in India.

Whiskey

Diabetes in India Part 1

Diabetes is prevalent in USA.  We have good healthcare systems even for the under served thru Medicaid.  NCD, non communicable disease, have surpassed infectious disease as the number one killer in India.  It is wonderful that diseases which can be prevented by administering vaccines have decreased with the help of WHO, CDC AND NGOs.

India is a country with great disparities.the caste system is still strong and obvious everywhere I have visited, besides Ladakh and Kerala. The number of malnourished are much greater than the urban overweight. Almost 42 per cent of the children in the country numbering over 61 million (India's population is 1.2 billion) are malnourished and stunted according to the Hunger and Malnutrition Report released by Prime Minister Singh in New Delhi on Jan 2012, The report published stated that one in three malnourished children in the world is an Indian.  Malnutrition is NOT just the underfed but all people with improper diets.  I am here to work with diabetes, don't you think there are many other more pertinent healthcare tasks?  

The prevalence of malnutrition varies across states, with Madhya Pradesh-central india recording the highest rate (55 per cent) and Kerala among the lowest (27 per cent).

Malnutrition in children is not affected by food intake alone; it is also influenced by access to health services, quality of care for the child and pregnant mother as well as good hygiene practices. Girls are more at risk of malnutrition than boys because of their lower social status. Statistics found on UNICEF website.

Articles in the newspaper frequently discuss the corruption In high levels of government. There are multitude of issues that need to be addressed to solve healthcare and economic problems in India.

I live in a middle class area even so I see less fortunate, builders, rickshaw drivers, garbage collectors and sorters everywhere.  The haves and have nots. Maybe when walking NYC streets homeless can be seen but they are not everywhere allowing me to forget that its an issue.  The builders here, often transients from rural communities, come to the cities for work.  I am told that there is a strong hierarchy in the building unit.  The true laborers that carry the bricks, sand, stone are the lowest in the group, the brick layers are above and then a person overseeing.  A days work could easily be 12 hours/day everyday of the week.  And for pay, the laborers might get paid $5-7 USD/day.  Vishwa asked if I would like an interview with the builders.  I am embarrassed to ask for one but have so many questions.  They do have water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes.  They cook, sleep and exisit in their building lots.  The entire families are at the site, women and men work side by side hauling heavy loads of sand, bricks, concrete up one, two, three or even four stories.  Only a couple of times have I seen any large equipment to assist the manual laborers.  Not only do they build but they also dig, maybe a full story down - by hand!  I cannot answer if building homes in middle class areas are helping the economy as reports in the newspaper suggests that the economy is doing poorly similar to other parts of the world.

Mumbai Day 2

Evening with Swati was a bit too long, not because of Swati but the party. Ten people or so in a small room. Interesting observation: often men and men will walk arm in arm. Sometimes women but mostly men. While sitting on the couch Swati had her arm around me no problem we are friends. After chatting with the woman next to me she naturally just rested her hand on my leg. Seemed a bit strange but I felt accepted. Listened to pop Indian music, good. All was enjoyable until they started doing shots of whiskey then one of the guys started imitating a famous Bollywood star (not that I knew this) talking Hindi. This went on for what seemed like eternity. The remainder of the night everyone spoke Hindi, that was it for me. No more fun. After 5 minutes I had enough, another 30 minutes passed and I got up to leave.    Did eat some good Indian food. There was drink and Hookah, not sure what it is, not marijuana, smelt like a flavored pipe and people didn't inhale.

At first when I came to hotel I didn't like it, felt it was under par but after being here for two days my only complaint was that wifi was poor and water cost 180 rupees in hotel and on the streets it's 15 rupees.

Today went to Borivali (Sanjay Gandhi) National Park to go on Safari and visit caves. Was OK. I have to remember I am in India and there are so many other more enjoyable places to be in the world. Nice to spend with Swati.

Picnic

Old stairs leading to caves

The next stop was to join the safari. This is a national park that has lions and tigers and deer, oh my. Yes Iknow it's bears but there weren't any. The cost of the safari is only 1USD, so why not. Waited in line to board the bus. We entered a gated area and drove around. We spotted a male lion lounging. What surprised me was how course his mane appeared. For some reason I thought it would be smooth. Yes we saw tigers but they were caged- YUK!

I hired a car for the day.  This is the best way to get around. A driver could be arranged at the hotel but when I went for my walk to "town" I passed a taxi stand.  Khan, spoke English and we negotiated a price to drive to the Natl Park and be available to us all day. This is a easy way to travel as the car waits for you.  To reach the caves one must climb about 50 stairs to approach the biggest cave with carvings and statues inside all carved from the surrounding rock.  I had not read upon the history about the dwellers which was a mistake.  The reason I went to the park was to be in nature.  Views at the top were of forest that spanned a large area. Streams and water pools were plentiful allowing people to cool off or take a shower under the waterfall.   Also there were flowers which I love.The next stop was to join the safari. This is a national park that has lions and tigers and deer, oh my. Yes Iknow it's bears but there weren't any. The cost of the safari is only 1USD, so why not. Waited in line to board the bus. We entered a gated area and drove around. We spotted a male lion lounging. What surprised me was how course his mane appeared. For some reason I thought it would be smooth. Yes we saw tigers but they were caged- YUK!

On the drive back I was surprised at all the laundry hanging from apartment balconies. Space is scarce so I guess there is not enough roof top area to dry clothes on the line, this is what I do in my apartment.

 

 

Came back to hotel, went to gym to ride bike, swim and a walk on the beach. Wifi not to good. The only place it works well is in the hallway outside my room. I chuckle.... 

Beach is nice. Remember, you need to keep an open mind. Look for the good. Couples, families, friends all enjoy. A family, dressed in every day attire (slacks, button up short sleeve top for the men and saris for women) walk towards the Arabian sea, and they continue to walk into the water until they are swimming. Interesting. Later in the evening we had a hard rainfall, people didn't run for cover (no where to go). Very few have bathing suits. 

Did some reading about Project Hope to prepare for my Pfizer meeting tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
Mumbai is much dirtier than Delhi. Garbage dumbs every few blocks, didn't really smell though. I asked someone who was two blocks away if they knew where the movie cinemas we're and they said No. Could it be that they didn't understand me, they didn't know or they didn't want to help (this I don't believe as people seem genuine).
Swati forgive me I enjoyed our time together.  Swati is happier in Mumbai than in Delhi, there is a nightlife here, she feels safe being out late and she has friends. Good for her!

 

Arriving Mumbai (Bombay) Day 1

Wow I thought Delhi was bad Mumbai is even worse!

The slums as seen in Slum Dog Millionaire are everywhere. Look at the photos and how close they are to the runway. At least 15 flights arrive every hour, it's unimaginable living that close.

The hotel I am staying is in Juhu Beach costing 150/ night equivalent to $100 in other cities I have been to. The cost is high because land is scarce and the large population. The only saving grace is the pool and it is near the beach, nice to hear sound of the surf.   

 

Went out for drinking water and it's scary out there. Called Swati, my friend who is meeting me tonight. She has a work party she invited me to. Should be interesting. My first thoughts how to get there but she offered to come to my hotel and we would go together. Sounds good!
My right shoulder is not doing that well, pain making swimming difficult but I can float. Sun out. The weather forecast was rain for my entire time so I am greatly appreciating the sun. Oh no, I didn't bring sun screen.
Talked to a foreigner here on business, he hates India. I don't hate it but find it challenging to keep positive. being in a nice hotel or my apartment removes me from the reminder of the poverty so prevalent. It would be interesting to talk to the people who have made their homes on the sidewalks. A home might be a blue rain tarp supported by pieces of wood. A family can be two, three or even four all living, cooking and surviving in this tiny area. How do they buy food? What do they think? Do they think about having a better life, a better home, food, toilet.... For the first time saw a kid shitting on the street. How does that feel? The problem is so large that I can't imagine how to fix it.
Lounging looking at the ocean, a swim in the pool - life is good. 

Nice beach

Looking at downtown Mumbai

They asked to have their picture with me

I have been in the Arabian sea!

Went for a walk on the beach-low tide. More people came out in the afternoon to play in the water, picnic on the beach, walk, cricket or just relaxing. In Crazy Mumbai this is a nice place to get away from the craziness, poverty, noise, smell and vehicles.


I am now relaxed as I spent the afternoon outside. Actually got a tiny red from lounging in the sun. That's a good thing!
Had a salad to hold me over until dinner. It was wonderful, the crispy greens were organic topped with perfectly crispy bacon (very unusual for India) and garlic croutons. They served pesto, sundried tomatoes and a lime cilantro sauce to go with the bread. Oh that was good! Italian food Yum especially when I haven't had it in a long time.  A good afternoon ending with a nice sunset.