Dubai: Dr Ramesh Sancheti cared for a stray puppy in Pune, India, for 16 years and named her Brownie. Little did he know, that as he lay alone and collapsed on the floor of his home years later, Brownie would be the one to save him.
According to a news report by Pune Mirror, Dr Sancheti’s neighbour, Amit Shah, kept out some food for Brownie on January 23. However, the old dog seemed extremely agitated and refused to eat her food. This struck Shah as particularly worrying. After all, he was also Brownie’s caretaker with Dr Sancheti, from the time she was born. The usually calm dog was restless and kept pacing towards Dr Sancheti’s ground-floor window, stretching out her paws to reach the sill.
Confused by the dog’s unusual behavior, Shah peered into the window and saw Dr Sancheti collapsed on the floor. He immediately broke into the house and called for an ambulance. Dr Sancheti was rushed to the nearby Poona hospital. The 65-year-old general physician had suffered a paralytic attack and a minor cardiac arrest. Sancheti’s wife was in Mumbai, his son in another part of the Pune district and daughter in the United States when the attack happened. His son Amit Sancheti told Pune Mirror: “It was only the dog who alerted Shah and saved my father’s life”.
What goes around comes around
Brownie’s relationship with Dr Sancheti and Shah goes back a long way. Brownie was born around 2003 at the apartment complex where Sancheti and Shah live. They regularly took care of her and fed her. Shah, who is a committee member of the Maharashtra State Animal Welfare Committee and director of Prani Seva Sanshta, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for specially-abled dogs, told Pune Mirror that he believed Brownie’s actions were down to her gratitude. “Some two years ago, Brownie’s health was critical after suffering from kidney ailments. After her treatment, the Sanchetis took special care of her, helping her recover from a 50 per cent kidney failure,” he said.
He also credited the sharp senses that dogs possess to the miraculous save. “Her senses made her aware of sounds of heavy breathing and and collapse despite not being inside the house. Canines also have an extremely advanced sense of smell,” he was quoted as saying.
Distress surrounding dogs
This story comes at a crucial junction in India, as the government struggles to deal with attacks on stray dogs, which many view as a menace. Just two weeks ago, two students were arrested in the state of Kolkata after they beat 16 puppies to death. In 2016, in the state of Kerala, almost a 100 dogs were culled in response to a man’s mauling by a stray. Shah told Pune Mirror: “There is so much hatred around for dogs, especially strays. This incident should inform people a little about their immensely generous souls.”
Many social media users were also of the same opnion.
Facebook user Souptik Daw wrote: “Animal baiters should have a look at this.”
Raghavan Padmanabhan posted on Facebook: “...pray for Dr Sancheti’s speedy recovery. Stray dogs are no less than pedigreed ones in loyalty, alertness and guarding their owners...”