“Dogs are man's best friend”, said Ogden Nash in his 1941 poem ‘An Introduction to Dogs’. But even 2500 years ago, the Mahabharat speaks of the dog that accompanies the Pandavas on their final journey, and Yudhishtir laments that even though his family dies one after the other, the dog has remained a faithful friend and companion till the very end.

Is it then not our moral responsibility to take care of these dogs who have come to the cities from villages and jungles, following humans and the food trail?

Today we see Indie dogs in every lane, colony and city, and most of them are friendly and are cared for by the residents. All we have to do is to make sure they are vaccinated and sterilized [as per the WHO and ABC guidelines that ask for dog populations in third world countries like ours- to be controlled by this simple act]

Indies are often called strays or street dogs, but we must acknowledge that they are an actual breed in India. Sturdier than all pure breeds, these make the best guard dogs and best pets to have around the house. They are low maintenance and free. Adopting them will reduce the puppy mills that unscrupulous breeders have. Forcing females to breed for their own greed and then abandoning the weak ones of the litter inhumanely.


Giving an abandoned puppy a loving home is the kindest act that humans can partake of.The GHMC has many shelters and sterilization facilities, but they cannot handle this without support from the volunteers who feed and help catch them for the birth control operations. It is very important they are dropped back in the same location they were taken from, as its their home and they have humans caring for them there.

Today on the MYCURE app, you can easily file a grievance about unsterilized strays, and help the GHMC vans to catch them and ensuring they return them after a week.

As soon as we planted our Miyawaki forest at Arbor Road Estate way back in 2015 and had a watchman on site, we rescued Tawny and her four pups from the streets of Secunderabad and they have enriched our lives ever since.


Tawny, Roger, Dora, Pebbles & Flash made their home here before us; they fiercely guard the property, are very friendly with visitors and even accompany them on village walks to protect them from other dogs.


Somewhere along the way, our beautiful Dobby wandered into the property and demanded that he become part of our family too. Then, a few years ago, we rescued 3 siblings from being put down by members of a residential complex in the financial district; with help from Deven Baheti [ Pet Café and Deven’s Hope society fame] who fostered them for a few weeks.


We also adopted Sparkplug from the runway in Mumbai when his whole family had gotten run over and he lived happily with us for over 15 years. Luna was rescued from the main road in Secunderabad and she lords over our home now 8 years down the line.


While many of this extended family of dogs have by now crossed the rainbow, we and all our guests cherish the memory of their loving licks, jumps and cuddles, that simply make days better. Our tribute to these dogs can be found in a marvellous sculpture made from scrap metal and motorbike parts


If you want to adopt an Indie (trust me, they’re the best kinds), you can contact Deven or simply come to Arbor Road Estate and get your fill of doggie love during your stay with us!

Deven Baheti, Pet Café and Deven’s Hope Society – 8297585352

Download the MY CURE app for the GHMC grievance cell to register and sterilize the dogs in your area

To book a stay at Arbor Road Estate, visit our website www.arbor.estate or Whatsapp your enquiry to +91 9059222612