For Canine Victims Of Human Fickleness, He Is A Veritable St Francis

It’s a quiet, peaceful residential building in Mumbai. But Laxmi Niwas also houses an unusual school-one that takes in canines as pupils. And one of those is a Doberman called Genie. It’s owner, Zawareh Daruwala, might have trained it to resist the untimely calls of postmen, but pleasantries between Genie and the human population can end at a "Go get him" command from the 35-year-old Daruwala. It’s Genie’s history, as of the other dogs here, that makes this ‘school’ unique. Genie is a rescued dog, one that has a pedigree but has been abandoned by its owners. Dogs like Genie are usually left on the streets where these domesticated beings simply cannot survive. This is where Daruwala steps in. He adopts an abandoned dog and trains it to become a guard dog, so that rather than perish on mean urban streets it becomes capable of earning its own piece of bone.

Daruwala has been rescuing dogs for about six years and has trained over 45 abandoned canines. Most of these dogs have found ‘employment’ in companies like Siemens, Nicholas Piramal and Colour Kemp. Behind this effective rehabilitation system of sorts lies Daruwala’s professionalism as a trainer. Something recognised by these companies who have drawn up a contract with him. It isn’t just business, rescuing these abandoned dogs and helping them find their ‘moorings’ is, for Daruwala, something of an act of love. A routine cause for abandoning a dog is when it turns hostile and starts biting people. But as Daruwala says, "There is never a bad dog, only bad owners." He illustrates his case by relating the story of a German Shepherd whom he rescued. The head of the family that owned the dog worked on a ship and only occasionally came home. Obviously, the dog had grown possessive of the wife and children. So, every time the sea-faring man came home, the dog wouldn’t let him enter the house. The bothered family wanted to get rid of it. Hearing of this, Daruwala took the German Shepherd home. "I had to tie him up and train him." But finally the result was a well-trained, effective guard dog.

Daruwala launches into another tale of how human care can ‘reform’ a dog. Robin, a nine-year-old Great Dane, developed some serious skin problems. Its owners had to spend Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 every month on a vet which made getting rid of him seem a good solution. When Robin came to stay with Daruwala, his skin ailment somehow just disappeared. "It’s all about love," explains Daruwala. "If a dog gets love, most of his problems will be solved." Ultimately, Robin proved to be a choice guard dog for two-and-a-half years till the day he died peacefully.

People from places like Goa, Pune, Baroda, have all dumped their dogs on Daruwala, perhaps believing their guilt will be lessened if the dog is in good hands. "Nowadays," says Daruwala, "one of the reasons why people desert their dogs is because of a disease called erlichia. It’s a sort of dog’s aids but it isn’t sexually transmitted. It is caused by tick bites and ruins the immune system in a dog." As the treatment is expensive, people prefer to simply dump their pets. It’s for miserable creatures like these that Daruwala opens up his heart and home. Training them is, he believes, a divine gift bestowed upon him. He would, given the option, try and help all strays. "It’s possible to train street dogs too. They can become good guard dogs," he says. "But the corporates don’t want street dogs. They want good looking dogs," he says ruefully.

Obviously, the family-an aged mother and two kids-supports Daruwala’s obsession. Earlier, most of his relatives were perplexed. In fact most of them thought he was a smuggler since a smuggler in Hindi films always seems to have a pet canine! "One day I told them what I do. Now they don’t think I am a smuggler," he says smiling. Daruwala’s address is 604-C, Lakshmi Niwas, Lady Jehangir Road, Dadar, Mumbai-14, phone 4120433.