A TOLFA Volunteer - SerenaLife has developed a happy rhythm of rituals. Chai on the front steps with the eternally twinkly manager Raju, slotting biscuits into my sloppy young dog friend’s mouth. I’ve christened her Amy! The first 5 minutes scooter ride is heart stoppingly alarming. A deafening cacophony of horn blowing, swerving round cows, school children, skipping goats, lorry’s doubled in size by their massive loads of maize, buses bearing down menacingly, horns screaming “get out of my way”. I wave or stop to greet specific friends en route - the henna haired gentleman at the juicing store, the shy chapati lady to buy the daily ration for the anorexic dogs, the chai store for extra milk, Sanjay at the Desert Cafe.After wiggling through the dry sand , it’s onto the well paved storybook road. Weaving through goats with their bandy-legged turbaned (safaa) herder, sporting white corta and dhoti. Bouncing monkeys, squawking peacocks, labouriously flying with their cumbersome tails. Buffalo wallowing in the fresh monsoon mud, labourers hewing out the cliffs by hand under the pounding sun. Children dwarfed by their loads of brush wood perched perilously on their little heads.
Serena and Eilidh with a furry friend So the joyous arrival at the animal clinic. The resident dogs, who wander freely round the unfenced compound, hurry towards me as I park the bike. They wait politely in turn for a good morning biscuit, Sophie, the distemper white and black dog, chirrups happily.Then it’s “namaste’” all round to the staff. It’s always an anxious time, arriving - has the electrocuted monkey survived the night? did the black and tan pup with suspected rabies die? Did the nursing mother squash more of her pups?The animal assistants, Sitaram 1 and Shishpal have already slooshed out the kennels and are busily preparing the nourishing rice and bread breakfast. I trot round with the milk churn, shoulder bag of Pedigree and chapati to supplement the undernourished, the pups and the convalescing. The dog pneumonia sufferer, the recovering neutered ones, the orphan calf Eilidh needs bottle feeding, Biscuit the paralysed buffalo, needs a packet of them and a shower. Then its the small cup of sickly chai from Naja.Highlight of the day is the walk. Up to 13 dogs will hop, stagger or limp behind me, while others rush ahead to the trees and beyond. then we’ll sit peacefully in the grass and they’ll graze and recline. Occasionally an altercation, but mostly they rub along together. Eilidh may follow, but those shiny black cloven hoofs unwittingly tread on soft dog, ouch! The picture attached features no less than 5 three legged dogs - Three Wheeler, Flapper, Samson, Huna Munca and “just waiting to be christened”!The vet students Nicky and Jen have been administering the dog treatments. Cleaning amputation wounds, injecting antibiotics, boosting with vitamins, checking neutering scars and the ear cuts that indicate the dog has been “done”. We all assemble on the office floor for chapati and spicy vegetables eaten out of those stacked bowls. glug glug glug, it’s hot work. the new fans disperse the flies. Nothing more annoying when a post luncheon nap is disturbed by flies crawling on your lips.
Nap timeA potter up to the congested cattle shed can be rather hazardous, as the dogs like to come too. A kick by a cross cow or a grumpy donkey could be curtains for a tiny pup. But Biscuit just rolls his eyes and looks at one so knowingly, it’s rather disconcerting.A farmer arrives with goat slung over his scooter to have a cast on the broken leg, anxious owners with their beloved alsation who’s off his feed wait for attention, Nicky and Jen, in their green scrubs, are in the small animal operating theatre castrating a huge black and tan, the next patient is out for the count having his nether regions shaved. Quite a production line. My day is over and with a rather heavy heart I fire up the scooter and don’t look round. I know the possie of dogs are hobbling after me. Nicky and Jen don’t return to base camp for another hour.The new kennel block is rapidly being built. It must be complete by World Rabies Day on 8 Sept, when we will have a splendid opening and awareness campaign for the work we do with specific emphasis (obviously!) on the fight to eradicate rabies.A mango ice cream at the Desert Cafe before entering the hubbub of Pushkar, and a recount of the days events with spiritual Sanjip finally washing away the dust of the day in a chilly shower and mmmm, where for dinner?Lots of love Serena
