By “We literally don't go anywhere ever without her. We ended up not going anywhere. And if we ever go, it's only with her.”
The dog that deserved everything but was not important to the world, but she became our world our everything.
Meet Chaya, this is her story!!
Rescued from the Himalayan trails when Chaya was only four months old, courtesy of promotion on their Instagram page (@himalayantails). Apparently, Chaya wasn’t allowed in the independent housing area by the residents only because people were scared that the other dogs would catch the skin infection Chaya was suffering from during this time.
It was so cold in Uttarakhand that the puppy would never have survived, even with bedding and a box. But God had other plans for her.
That is when a Kolkata born girl, living in Delhi, got to know about a puppy born in Uttarakhand. It was fate that brought Namrata and Atri together with Chaya. We talked to the couple to know more about Chaya’s story, and they were more than happy to share it with us.
Discovering Chaya
While talking with Namrata, we asked her about how she got to know about Chaya or Chayu as they call her, she said, “I came across chaya on Instagram, through Erum who runs the Himalayan Tails profile. She does an exceptionally good job.”
Also, she shared with us that without even knowing Chaya’s whole story and only by glancing at her picture once, she texted Himalayan Tails. She said, “I didn’t know her story as such. I just contacted Erum asking her if there was a home that needed, irrespective of gender. So, she suggested Chaya and I was okay. I don’t think I even saw her picture properly.”
“Yeah, she was this malnourished little dog with no fur. The next thing I know she is like coming to Delhi from Uttarakhand. And Erum got her to me. She was very helpful.”
The Initial Challenges
Rescuing a puppy and bringing her home is not where the story ends, rather a long road towards recovery begins. And when asked Namrata about, how did they adjust to their life she said,
“So, the biggest thing for me was that having a dog at home was like having a child that never really grows up. So, my partner and I are both lawyers. We both are not at home most of the time. Also, because we lived at a smaller house back when we got Chaya. The timing was a bit of a problem initially.”
“But we both took our time, and we started training her how to stay by herself for a couple of hours and you know we would play with her and then go to the other room for 5 minutes. Then increase the duration to 10-15 minutes to see how she copes with staying alone for a bit.”
“And immediately after that we moved into a bigger house with nice, big windows because she really likes staring out at the birds and barking at people sometimes, and other dogs.”
“So yeah, when we moved into a bigger house, I think she had enough space to play around by herself. We would leave enough water, extra food, and toys all around the house. So that she would be occupied.”
Chaya Accepting Us
Most dogs that are rescued from a bad condition have difficulty adjusting to a new place and around new people, so we wanted to know did little Chayu deal with her new parents and home.
Being curious about how little Chayu was dealing with her new parents, we asked Namrata was it easy for Chayu to accept them, she said,
“Chaya accepted us easily. She has always been very loving and very open to new experiences. We have changed at least 4 houses after we got her. And she has probably settled in better than we did in the beginning. And she has never given us any trouble. Never.”
“She is the most lovable dog. She gets along with other animals. Yes, I don’t think she gets along very well with cats. I have seen her chasing cats in the park.”
“So yeah, and we have always made sure that she is given paramount importance in our lives no matter what. So, I guess she just really likes being the apple of our eyes.”
The Road to Recovery
It was tough for both Namrata and her partner Atri to help Chayu return to her normal self, but they surely never gave up. When we asked the couple about how the recovery process of Chayu was, they said,
“The main issue with Chaya was that she had lots of skin issues. She probably had next to no hair at all. She looked very different as a puppy compared to what she looks like right now. And you know she is this beautiful dog.”
“And she always has been. I remember someone coming up to me and telling me in the initial days and saying, ‘Arey, why does your dog have no hair?’ I was really offended but I must tell you Chaya was in the worst condition when she was rescued by Erum.”
“And Erum really was the one who put in the work properly initially when she rescued her for probably like a month or so. And then when I got her, I thought through her diet. She was given a protein-rich diet daily, and we really made sure to put this salve on her called Scooby Dub Dub which was again suggested by Erum. It worked wonders.”
“I think you know it was just the environment of a home, the nutrition that you can give that really, really, really, makes a difference. So, we don’t feed Chaya packaged food, though she really likes cat food, not dog food. We give it to her maybe like cat gravy once a week as a treat, but we do not give her anything that is junk.”
“We are very, very particular – no sugar, no salt, nothing. It’s the only food cooked by me at home. So, I think that really, really, made a difference in her health and in the way she looks. I am sure you have seen her pictures. So, you can tell the difference.”
Following a Routine
After following a proper around-the-clock routine of taking care of Chayu together, both Namrata and Atri got her back to the lovable and playful dog that she is.
Talking to Namrata, we found out that not just Chayu is a lovely dog, but with a lovely personality as well. The couple adjusted both their schedules around her. Namrata said,
“Having Chaya in our lives – it has made us really disciplined in some ways, which we lacked, and I am sure we still lack to some extent. But since we don’t stay at home, I leave for work at 9, my partner leaves around 10-10:30. And then I’m back by 6:30-7, and then he comes back.”
“So, we make sure that she is taken on a walk early in the morning – we wake up. She wakes us up around 5-5:30 every day. So, she is like the natural alarm for us and yeah, we take her, and we open her leash in the park. She has got a good friend called Kalu – he is a community dog. We love him as well.”
“She is fond of Kalu, and we take her to the park, and we let her off the leash. She has her own time – 40-45 minutes playing, running around like crazy, rolling around the grass and the mud – it’s great. And she is good with humans too. I mean having Chaya has made us realize that you don’t need a lot to be happy. It’s just that one dog or an animal that you give shelter to – it can really change your life.”
Chaya in 2024
It was a hard and difficult road toward recovery, but for Chayu, she had the most lovable parents, who never gave up on her and were with her every step of the way.
When we asked Namrata about how Chayu is doing at present, she said,
“Chaya is doing great on her and was with her every step of the way. up on her and was with her every step of the way. at. She is – I think she has found a boyfriend in Kalu and Kalu is this beautiful, neutered community dog that everyone fears. I don’t know why. Chaya loves her time with Kalu when she is not with us.”
“Her favorite thing to do is sit on the balcony with her little head out through the railing and just look down and look at other people passing by cars passing by, and she is very a chill dog. She loves it when we have people over and I think she is enjoying her life, and we try to make it up for the time we are not there at home.”
We try to make it up – we literally don’t go anywhere ever without her. We ended up not going anywhere. And if we ever go, it’s only with her. So, we make sure that we give her the time because I don’t know what my life would be like without her.
