Dogs of IIT Kanpur

During my six years at IIT, my friends and I met many dogs. They were stray dogs, Pariahs. I have come to respect this kind immensely. As scavengers, their lives are hard but they are masters of their own free will. Plus, they don’t have genetic diseases that plague most pure-bred dogs. They are how nature wanted them to be. We befriended six such dogs, Balram, Mike, Ayesha, Dimple, Ruaan and Fox. There are many stories of how we met, how these names came to be and how they were related to each other. They were close to us and I believe, we too were close to them.

I once had to sleep in shivering winter cold because of Ayesha. She came in my room as she found it warm. I was surprised and happy. But I did not close the door because I was afraid it would freak her out. Dimple was not very fond of humans but she would be around to keep an eye on Ruaan, her daughter. I brought food for Ruaan every night. She could never finish the full bowl. Dimple would wait patiently till she had enough and then lick the bowl clean. There was also one bully, Bahubali (Bahubully?), who wouldn’t let Ruaan eat. Dimple would then pick fight with him and draw him away from Ruaan. She was an amazing mother. Mike was old but very strong. He had such a fierce fighting stance that no male dog would dare to step in his territory. But after getting severely injured in a dogfight, he became alarmingly thin and weak. He was stubborn. He wouldn’t let people treat him. Once we held him down to clean and cover his wounds. Upon letting him free, the first thing this guy did was rolling in dirt. We couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. He disappeared soon after.

They all disappeared, one by one. Sometimes guards would catch dogs late in the night and release them far away from the campus. We never found out when and where. We would just move on and make new friends. There was always a new dog to take over the vacated territory. I was heartbroken when Ruaan disappeared. I even searched for her all over the campus, in vain. Ayesha moved to another hostel when she was pregnant. Later we got the news that she died while giving birth. Her two pups were later adopted by a family in Kanpur.  

Fox has been with us the longest. Actually it's he who has seen us disappear one by one, as some left IIT and some shifted to another hostel. He is absolutely lovable. Very handsome and goofy. He places his chin on your lap or tries to slip his head beneath your palm and expects a head massage.

I shared some unforgettable moments of my PhD with these dogs. I learnt new things about them. I used to think that a stray dog would always choose the humans who give it food. That’s only partly true. After eating food offered by different people, a dog would idle around only those with whom it feels most relaxed. It indicates that they accept you. And it’s a very satisfying feeling, to be accepted by a dog. It would always brighten me up. Whenever I was down and alone, one of these dogs would come and sit nearby, like a companion, saying “hey, I am just going to lie down here because I find comfort in you.” Sometimes that’s all the validation you need. I am grateful. I hope, wherever they are now, they find a good home, meet nice people and go on to live a long, healthy life.

Dimple and Ruaan. They shredded that ball. I was left picking up the pieces behind them.

Ayesha. She had very soft and silky fur.

Fox. Those pointy ears of his looked like Batman's horns, before the veterinary cut off the tip of one to mark sterilization.