“My friends and I found a small puppy in our neighborhood when one of them suggested that it looked like a labrador puppy, so we should just tend to it and maybe sell it later. That’s how the journey began. All of us started pooling in ten to twenty rupees to feed him, take him for walks, and in no time, our whole life was revolving around him. He was always full of love, and that taught me to handle every moment in life with a positive spirit.
However, Max soon outgrew my arms, and the kids were terrified, and not long after that, he got into a fight with a stray and hurt himself badly. I had to rush him to the vet and then leave him at the Blue Cross facility. I was hoping they would take good care of him and often went to see him. However, a few days went by, and I got a call from one of the volunteers that Max has left for the dog heaven. He was sad and did not eat for a few days, it felt like he had been waiting for my return. The unfortunate part was I did not get to see even his body as they had buried it by then.
It shattered me, and I cried inconsolably while in college. I couldn’t forgive myself for not taking better care of him, and that’s when I decided to fill the void that Max left in my heart by tending to other animals. I became a volunteer with various rescue groups in Chennai. We went around the city rescuing animals, nurturing them back to health, and letting them free. The joy on their face when they were set free is beyond what words can fathom! I was doing it like a full-time job.
But I couldn’t do it for long, so I got a full-time job at a startup. Besides that, my friend Sudha Muthuvel and I started the Happy Paws in Mogappair along with a couple of friends. We do our bit to rescue and foster animals.
And I hope Max is watching me from the doggie heaven and saying that he’s happy to see me serve his fellow beings. The only reason I wanted to share my story was to make sure more people volunteer to take care of stray animals.”
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