The Orphan-A Dogged One

“You know all I did was lead a life on my own standards. I lived it through the toughest times. My parents died, I had no siblings, and I was orphaned. I was just 19 years old. What could a 19 year old possibly have done? My relatives said they would shelter me and take care of my education. I denied the offers because that came out of sheer sympathy and not from their hearts.

I sat wondering what could be done. I didn’t sit crying over the fact that I lost everyone who actually cared for me. I took up a job. The whereabouts of the job are not important, why would you anyway care, just because you waited all day long? Alongside my job I did some diplomas to enhance my painting skills. And then I found you. You just became an integral part of my life. I thought of naming you behind two weird sitcom actors I had come across, Barney and Chandler, Bandler.

Bandler the dog.

You have just not been a dog but my friend. You waited for me to get back from work. Even though I kept food for you, you starve and eat only once I arrive. Walking you has been the best mornings I ever had and you made sure my health was always at the zenith. My relatives didn’t care to check on me post my denial but who cares when I had you.

Thanks for everything, Bandler.”

The last few words bring tears into his eyes as he reads this note standing besides Bandler’s grave.

Bandler died in a road accident. Run over by a speeding car. Tuffy had no idea why Bandler ventured out that night. He probably did every night. After all Bandler was a street dog. He belonged to the streets. Thanks to his faithful nature, he used to wait home, the whole day, eagerly waiting for Tuffy.

According to the people who witnessed the accident, shockingly recalled how a speeding car brushed through the dog throwing it 500 metres away with its head severely damaged. With no care for a living creature writhe in pain, vehicles just ran above it.

Several pleas from animal lovers to erect fences on highways to stop the dogs and other animals cross the road fell on deaf ears.

Bandler died.

Tuffy was orphaned again.

Before and After: Here is an example of a dog rescued 
after being hit by a motor bike and now he's on the run after few weeks of physical therapy.


FYI: As traffic in India increases so do the number of road accidents leaving dogs severely injured, paralysed, brain damaged and with broken limbs. Dogs who have been hit by cars and who have sustained an injury to their spine causing paralysis in their hind legs STILL have a chance of living a happy life provided they are given immediate medical attention which is not the case here in India. We do not have a record or a website which gives actual facts and figures regarding dogs involved in road accidents but if a pedestrian is run over by a vehicle and dies, which happens many a times, imagine the number of animals killed in road accidents. 150 are the number of elephants killed since 2000 on the Indian Railways. Alarming. Since those are endangered. Let’s not endanger the dogs because every dog is a Bandler.