AKIRA

AKIRA’S Rescue Story

Hi!  Here are two things about me that you should know right away: 1) I am a tripod, and 2) You won’t believe it!  I am a super active and energetic six months-old rescued female pup from New Delhi, India.  I have faced several physical challenges in my young life, but I am now fully healed and filled with exuberance!   I was rescued off the street when I was around 2.5 months-old.  I was already missing my front right leg; I was in a vehicle accident, but I don’t really remember the details.  My rescuer took good care of me and paid for amputation surgery, but I did not always stay inside her house.  I wanted to explore!  I often went back out to the street.  Everything was ok until I had another accident.  Ooops!  I fractured my left hind leg.  Then, my rescuer brought me to the loving staff at the Kannan Animal Welfare center.  She promised to take me back to her home, but she didn’t.  The wonderful people at KAW did not want to return me to the dangerous road – how many more accidents awaited?   They have taken excellent care of me, especially when I had a second surgery on my amputated leg.  The first surgery was not performed cleanly, so I thought I still had total use of my leg.  To everyone else, they saw I was completely off-balance and using a “phantom” leg.  My second surgery was successful!  I think I am actually faster on three legs, not four!

Regarding my awesome qualities, there are too many to share!  I am great with other dogs and very friendly with kids of all ages.  I am a good eater and love my evening walks.  I am crate-trained, and I doing well with potty-training.  I learn quickly as I am a smart, intuitive girl.   I would like to find an experienced family that appreciates and guides my energy!  If you are an active, creative family, we would be fantastic companions for one another.  I am so excited to join the ISDF family and hopefully… yours! Desi (day-see) —or Indian— Dogs live on the city and village streets of India.  There are an estimated 260,000 street dogs just in the capital, New Delhi.  Also called Indian Native Dogs or Pariah Dogs, these incredible animals are intelligent, good-looking, and healthy.  Some Indian dogs have a sleek body frame like the Greyhound or Whippet, and some have fuzzy ears like the Saluki.  Others are broader and thicker.  Most behave like sighthounds.  Desi Dogs are mid-sized (30-50 lbs.) and often have characteristic large ears and a curled tail.  Known for being excellent with people of all ages and other dogs, Desi Dogs have well-balanced temperaments.  They are athletic and fit, and many are gifted runners and jumpers.  It is common that they are limited barkers and minimal shedders.  They have wonderful personalities! In India, the dogs face extreme temperatures (damp, chilly winters and 115-degree summers), cars and other fast vehicles, disease, monsoons, and violence from people, as well as other street dogs.  Some “community dogs” are sterilized, vaccinated, and fed by volunteers, while most street dogs experience indifferent cultural attitudes and survive on their own efforts and luck.  Litters of pups are often drowned, buried alive, stoned, or removed from their mothers.  Most citizens do not know about dog sterilization and vaccination, and if they do, many cite religious beliefs against spaying/neutering.  In the cities, there is major cultural interest in the “superiority” of “purebreeds.”  Unfortunately, the labs, pugs, Dobermans, St. Bernards, boxers, and German Shepherds are frequently abandoned as many families do not have the funds, space, and knowledge about responsible long-term dog ownership.