Hit by bullet on 26/11,now at home with friends

A BULLET in the shoulder triggered a chain of events that helped turn Sheru from a stray dog into one with a home and many patrons. The mongrel was hit on 26/11 when terrorists opened fire at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

“Sheru is an aged dog,presumably 11 years of age,and set in his ways. Most of his life he had roamed the streets near CST,scavenged for food,fought for territory and slept under the noisy fans in the building,” Lt Colonel (retd) Dr J C Khanna,secretary of Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) Hospital.

Sheru now lives at the hospital,having been taken there,bleeding and unconscious,by a news photographer. “The bullet had pierced him under his shoulder blade,made a six-inch hole in his flesh and emerged from the other side. He had lost a lot of blood and didn’t look likely to survive then,” a doctor said.

Doctors healed Sheru within six months without intrusive surgery,just cleaning and dressing his wounds and antibiotics. The wound has dried but a deep scar on the left side of the shoulder bears testimony to his shave with death.

“This is his home now. We are keeping him here at the air-conditioned ICU ward. An average Rs 5,000 is spent every month on his food and tonics. Thankfully,the dog has several patrons; a Parsi family abroad has agreed to sponsor his lifetime expenses,” says Khanna.

Sheru seems at home at the hospital,basking in a sunny spot after a breakfast of milk and biscuits. But signs of the trauma remain. “You can often see he is tormented. Loud noises unsettle him and he is very suspicious of strangers,though he learns soon to like a person,” Khanna says.

Among such persons is caretaker Sandeep Chauhan. Sheru responds readily to his name,given by hospital staff.

CANINE CASUALTIES

Three sniffer dogs,each a purebred Labrador,lost their lives in the line of duty on 26/11,hospital staff recall. Among them was Lucy,who was guarding the rear gate of Taj Hotel along with handler Ravindra Kuwar. Kuwar was shot in the throat; Lucy was riddled with bullets. “Kuwar loved dogs and Lucy was loyal to him,” recalls Swastik Kadam,colleague. Kadam and his dog were posted on the same shift as Kuwar,but they had gone out for a walk minutes before tragedy struck.