Bravehearts
11 years! Seems like a long time
doesn’t it? For me, more than 10 years of service as a Therapy dog has made
this time seem to fly by. It sure has been a memorable journey.
Me (leftmost), Pepe, Sunshine and Coco |
Along this journey, I have been a a
friend for some, who would whisper their secrets with confidence in my
ears, and an angel for others, where I would help them back to
their feet while they fought a war they thought they were losing. A journey
that has not been easy, but has always been fun. A venture that I have dedicated
my heart and soul to, and always put my 200% in. These past 11 years have taught me so much about myself, my doggy friends and
apprentices, my humans, and those whom I help. Sometimes I look at the new pups
who train with me to be therapy dogs, how they stare at me in wonder as I
endure the pain of children rolling over me or sit next to a person for hours
without complaining. I wonder at these times if I was one of these novices
once. Well, as you can see, I have grown since then.
Manali congratulating Sunshine |
The event was memorable!! I was so happy to see the proud faces of my team.
Therapy dog Pepe, Sunshine and Coco were also being felicitated and they were
accompanied by their humans. After me, Therapy dog Pepe has worked the
most. She has been working on varied projects, from working with children with
special needs to the latest Comfort Dog project at the Mumbai International
Airport. Coco, another experienced therapy dog has worked on the pioneering
pilot project of providing Animal Therapy at the David Sassoon Juvenile
Delinquent Center, besides being the pillar of strength and joy of life to his
parents Atul and Meghna Loke. Sunshine, the youngest but the most promising
therapy dog has worked since a very young age with her parent and therapist
Manali Randive on individual counseling cases. Currently she is winning hearts
as a Comfort dog on the Mumbai International Airport.
The Team |
At the event, my handler Aakash,
Sunshine's human Manali, Coco's parents Meghna and Atul Loke, my co-therapists
Gayatri, Jai, Sneha and Bansari were all present. They were all elated and what
can I say, I was certainly on cloud nine! The only people I missed were my
parents Meena Srivastav, my human brother Sanket and sister Tanya and most
importantly I missed Minal who raised me to be a therapy dog. And of course, I
have had my mentors, foremost amongst them being Kutty, the first therapist dog
of India, my inspiration. But I know that their love is always there with me.
The Team |
Now the time has come for me to step
back from work. The Comfort Dogs project at the airport has been a great
experience and has taught me a lot. But as my age proceeds, I would like to
focus more on sharing my knowledge with my junior, in-training therapy pups,
who look up to me for guidance. It has been a beautiful journey and the
invaluable prize at this stage has made it even more exquisite than before.
Inputs by Niharika Ravi