KOCHI: He was two months old when Hari found him on the streets of Karunagapally. He was weak and had injuries all over his body.

This story is about a puppy rescued by Hari Poovangal, an animal lover from Karunagappally. On rescuing the puppy, Hari brought it to his own dog shelter and named it Balu. Balu got upbeat on getting treatment and his belly full of food. Now he is a pet of a family in Miami in USA. There is a lawn for him to run around and a baby mattress to sleep on with toys. Balu is now one year old and is getting all the love in the world.

Balu's trip to the States went viral on social media. He was adopted by Chicago resident Kelly Oslen for a friend in Miami. Hari, who is also a vlogger, had posted a video of him being seen off from Bengaluru airport.

Hari Poovangal, an engineer, left his job in Dubai and started a kennel shop and shelter in his hometown. Kelly had visited the place in 2020 during an excursion and came back again last year. She adopted two female puppies during her two visits. Balu was later adopted and taken abroad for her friend.

1 lakh cost

Central government's pet export permit is required to take adopted animals abroad. Balu's trip to the USA cost around Rs 1 lakh for travel fare, cost of cage and certificate.