Do you remember this sweet and meek dog? Yes he is the same dog who was brutally beaten to near death on June 14 by one Murali, who was reported to be a Kerala State Electricity Board contract driver. TV channels had flashed the CCTV visuals of this man’s cruelty at its worst. In that brutal bashing with an iron rod he had carried with him to commit the bloody act, the dog’s skull and an eye were badly damaged.

But the dog has slowly but steadily come back to life, thanks to over a month-long treatment and care given by Thiruvananthapuram unit of People For Animals, a Non-profit Animal Welfare Organisation. He was named Hope, the fighter. But PFA staff members fondly call him Hope may be because the heart-rending state in which he was brought in gave them no hope of his survival. Its head and eyes were bleeding, legs were broken and swollen but with a heavy heart they still hoped against hope. That dog’s survival became their hope.

Last week, we paid a visit to the PFA Shelter at Valiyarathala in Tvpm to get a first-hand knowledge of the dog’s current health condition.

He was seen up and about and seemed to have accepted the shelter as his home. But still that trauma he went through was writ large upon his face.

He appeared stoic but compassionate towards other inmates. He looked worried when heard the cries of other inmates who was undergoing treatment.

It was on June 14, at 8 pm that Latha Indira, the secretary of the Thiruvananthapuram unit of People For Animals, got a call saying that a badly bruised dog was lying writhing in pain on the premise of Kerala Vaidhyuthi bhavan, the corporate office of KSEB at Pattom in tvpm.

Though the working hours was over, considering the seriousness of the case, PFA rescue team members Unni, Ajith rushed to the spot. Another member Jeeva also joined them soon. The dog was shifted to PFA shelter after initially treated at a nearby private hospital. Had it not been for these good-hearted person and kind dutiful staff at PFA, Hope would have bled to death…

Also, that criminal-minded man would have beaten the hapless dog to death if a girl at the reception of the Vaidhyathibhavan had not spotted the CCTV visuals of the crime and come out shouting at him to stop his barbarous attack. Later the PFA filed complaint at Medical college police station and the police had to file a case under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act. The man was arrested and later let out on bail.

We are going ahead with the case against the KSEB driver as per Section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Unfortunately, the driver has neither been suspended even for a day nor terminated and that is really unfortunate,” says Sreedevi S Kartha, a fulltime PFA member.

Dr Rahul, the vet at PFA said that due to the hard blow on the right side of his head, Hope has sight loss in the right eye. There is almost no chance for getting back the sight. There was numbness in the right side of his head. But otherwise Hope is ok, almost healthy and fit for adoption. We could save his life only due to a month’s treatment with antibiotics and other supportive. Only those who are sure that they can look after Hope well should adopt him, he says. (Visual Doctor)

Meanwhile, PFA has put up an FB post saying that it is willing to give the dog for adoption to a good person who will treat him like his family member…. Who will not keep him chained or caged and who would not abandon him if he falls sick or when he gets old…