My then-girlfriend (now wife, Dimple) always had dogs. At one point, she used to have 5 dogs at once – all living with her family in a small home in Ratlam.
I was the exact opposite. The only interaction I had with dogs until I met her was running away from them whenever they gave me an eye, and a blurred bad memory of me falling at a temple when a dog chased me and me crying for Mom.
That changed when Dimple moved to Pune in 2014 for a new job and we started living close to each other. She earned a meager salary but always had money for dogs – to buy biscuits, milk, get them vaccinated and sometimes bandaged after an accident. The last part is/was not an uncommon sight in India. Of course, I wanted to stay with her as much as I can, so I decided to be brave and started feeding dogs with her. After a few failed attempts at cajoling them, I succeeded in becoming a part of their pack.
We fed around 10-15 dogs regularly and bought that huge 20 Lbs Pedigree from Dmart so they get a change of taste now and then.
Of those 15 dogs, there was 1 female who loved adored Dimple and me. We named her ‘Rani‘, meaning queen in English. Whenever she heard the distinctive crackling of my Pulsar 150 engine, she would dash toward us as if her life depended on reaching us before we made it home. we lived on the third floor and often teased her from the balcony by whistling or calling her name. She would search for us, howl in response, and sometimes, upon realizing it was us, come all the way up to the third floor to meet and greet us.
Rani and I cherising each other (2015)
Fast forward 2 years, I moved to Mumbai and Dimple moved to the UK for work. When we returned to Pune after a year and looked for her, we couldn’t find her anywhere. We asked the neighbors, rare souls who treated dogs with respect and care, but no one had seen her. That marked the end of our journey with our beloved Rani. Dimple and I eventually moved to different countries, but we often thought of her and wondered if, wherever she was, she ever thought of us too.
Fast forward a few years, Dimple moved to the US in Oct 2020 during the peak of Covid. She did not have a work visa when she landed and after some sightseeing in San Francisco got bored and perhaps depressed. So, as any good husband would do, I suggested – “why don’t we foster a dog for a few days? Might be a change of pace, eh?” I wasn’t fully onboard on having a dog at home but Dimple’s joy mattered more to me than my personal preferences, so we reached out to Muttville to adopt a senior. Given this was supposed to be a foster, we did not have a specific preference on the breed and let them know as such.
A few days later, they sent us a picture and we said yes, but the dog got adopted by someone else.
They sent us another picture and coincidentally that dog got adopted as well.
And then, they sent us the picture of Audrey, a long haired 8-year old Chiweenie.
Audrey was already 8 years old when she arrived at Mutville. She was found as a stray in Stockton and was brought to San Francisco the same day we got her.
She has a heart murmur, severe dental issues, mammary masses, and a bunch of other health issues that were taken care of by the Muttville team.
Audrey (Rani) in her adoption pictures (Aor 2021)
As soon as we got her, we realized the name Audrey is too English for us, so we named her ‘Rani’.
After fostering Rani for 7 days this was the summary and pictures we sent to Muttville for prospective adopters:
Audrey is such a sweetheart who loves to have belly and ear rubs. She is totally an attention seeker. If she wants your attention, she makes an innocent face with big round glowing eyes which we cannot ignore! She loves running on the lawn or open grassy areas when the weather is not too windy or damp. She likes to be surrounded by people. If she likes you, she’ll follow you everywhere. We usually take her on a short walk 4 times a day to allow her to do her business. We’ve noticed that if she needs to go out to potty she’ll either start shivering or licking the floor. So, you’ll need to keep an eye out to see what she needs. She is definitely a big-time foody who loves trying human food first before eating her own food. You need to be patient with her and food. She doesn’t like wet food much. We are trying kibble this week to check if she likes it. She also likes to eat dog treats, paneer (cottage cheese), and cheddar cheese for a quick snack throughout the day. We have introduced scrambled eggs to her breakfast routine which she loves! Audrey likes to eat a few vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, and boiled chickpeas. Basically, she can eat anything, if you will be patient with her. My partner has taught her some basic commands such as sit, wait, go, paw, and high-five. She will follow all of it if she gets her favorite treats i.e. Paneer. 🙂 Audrey is a very cheery dog who always looks at you with a happy face and wants to be surrounded by you and your love!
But when it was time for us to return Rani, we couldn’t.
She cheered us so much with her presence, love and energy that we couldn’t imagine the thought of leaving her and adopted her right away. [Side note – never foster a dog, they will domesticate you and you will be forced to adopt them.]
It’s said that humans domesticate dogs, but it’s the other way around. In our case:
Rani domesticated us to let her sleep with us in the bed.
Rani domesticated us to go to TJs and get her favorite beef rolls before they are over.
Rani domesticated us to wake up at 7 AM sharp every morning and go for walks 4 times a day.
Rani domesticated us to walk out of the house every Saturday and go to GGP so she can enjoy the sun and green grass.
Rani domesticated us to feed her with our hands and to not miss putting clarified butter (ghee) on chapatis.
Rani domesticated us to find the hotels where dogs are allowed or cancel the trip altogether.
Rani domesticated us to stay in the US for 3 years so we wouldn’t leave her for a month long trip to India.
She loved adored Dimple and me with all her heart and became a part of the family instantly.
Rani and I enjoying a movie (May 2021)Rani’s first trip to Land’s end trail (May 2021)Rani’s usual space after Dimple’s yoga (Oct 2021)My daily routine after workout – grab Rani and don’t let her go (Apr 2022)She hated other dogs with all her heart (Jun 2022)Rani was my co-MC each time I was the MC (Oct 2023)
Rani passed away on Dec 15, 2024, at 10:05 PM PST, battling bone cancer. That was the saddest day of my life so far.
I cried, shrieked, and bawled just so I could spend another day with her.
When Rani came to our house, she filled the void we did not even know existed. As she has left this world, that void will remain forever.
Rani was an extraordinary companion who taught Dimple and me the true meaning of selfless love.
She is, and always will be, our first child, living on forever in our hearts.
Here’s to the best companion we could have ever asked for.
