I’m Ajay, one of three adorable desi (local Indian dog) puppies rescued from a dangerous roadside in New Delhi. We had international connections from the start: our mama, a sweet and beautiful dog named Rani, gave birth to us alongside New Delhi’s embassy row.
To some Indians, desi street dogs are a nuisance and they are not looked after at all, but the kind and attentive guards of one embassy shared their daily leftovers with our mama while keeping an eye on us littles. Once we grew big enough to run out into the busy road, a dog lover named Valerie stepped in to save us from peril, and brought our little family to her home. Our mother Rani told us that moments of grace like this are rare in street dogs’ lives; she, herself, walks on only three legs since getting hit by a car on the same dangerous road.
Since our rescue, our friend Valerie has been fostering us with great compassion and love, and Valerie’s friend–the wonderful veterinarian Dr. Premlata Choudhary–has been coordinating our care. Our mother Rani has been spayed, we’ve all received our vaccinations, and our lucky sister Puja just found her forever home in Delhi with a Canadian family who adopted another desi dog last year. Dr. Choudhary has arranged for me and my sister Tara to fly to Chicago where we’ll find our own loving familes.
We are very sweet and affectionate puppies, and we’ve been learning housetraining and how to walk on a leash. The only boy of the bunch, I’m also the most confident. Valerie says I’m super-cuddly with incredibly soulful eyes that make everyone I meet fall in love with me. I looked a lot like a beagle puppy when I was little, but have been turning into a very handsome guy, with a toasted-gold coat and cream-dipped nose, chest, and feet. My mom is on the smaller side and looks like she might have some golden retriever in her mix. I take after my desi father, and will be about 40-45 pounds when fully grown. I walk with a relaxed prance, and look forward to accompanying you on countless city strolls and country hikes. I’m housetrained, microchipped, and full vaccinated, and working on getting comfortable during car rides
I have a soft, goofy side too, and respond well to positive reinforcement and patience; harsh words and firm corrections aren’t necessary when you’ve got my gentle temperament and brains. I’m multilingual, with street-dog as my mother tongue, growing fluency in house-dog, and some conversational English, French, and Hindi as well. My Sanskit name means invincible, and with you by my side, there’s no way either of us could lose. To sum it up, this cosmopolitan pup would love my new world to be you!
I am neutered, microchipped and current on my vaccinations. All I need is a loving home.
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Desi (day-see) dogs live on the city and village streets of India, with an estimated 400,000 in the capital Delhi, alone. Also called Indies, Indian Native Dogs, or pariah dogs, these dogs have changed little over thousands of years. Desi dogs are highly intelligent, alert, good-looking, athletic, and full of character. Many urban desi dogs have recent European breed ancestry too, along with sighthound sleekness and speed.
While most street dogs experience indifference at best, some neighbors and business owners look after their community dogs like Rani. Delhi’s extreme weather (cold winters, sweltering summers, thick smog, and monsoons), dangerous traffic, disease, human violence, and attacks from other dogs, ensure most desi puppies die before reaching adulthood. It’s a great irony that increasing numbers of status-conscious Indians are buying expensive and ill-suited foreign breed dogs, while more resilient and regal-looking native Indian dogs often have to travel internationally to find willing adoptive homes. Most of the desi dogs that ISDF places could not survive on Indian streets due to early orphaning or injury, or have been rescued from especially threatening situations.
If you are interested in adopting AJAY, please contact Dawn Trimmel at info@istreetdog.com. You can also find our adoption application here. Your application must be approved before scheduling a meet and greet.