So we named him....

The truth is, we couldn't leave him outside.
He's too damn cute, and is now sleeping curled up in a black pashmina atop a pile of old clothes tucked between the subwoofer and the entertainment center, tummy freshly de-wormed and full of home cooked chicken courtesy of Hamid. Dog toys and prescription meds awaiting his open eyes in hopes that we can coax a bit more of that precious puppy energy back to life and his hair back to lustre (if it ever had any to begin with, living the way he was amidst the garbage of an otherwise empty lot).

We are hopelessly in love with this mangy little creature and for the sake of sanity aren't looking past the seven days the vet at the godsend of an animal shelter (CUPA - Compassion Unlimited Plus Action; a rescue shelter/animal hospital started in 1991 by a British woman, aged 85 at the time) required before he's old enough for a vaccination.

Originally the idea was to take him to the shelter and leave him there (a verified no-kill facility, the only one of it's kind in Bangalore - ignored as a social service by the government and run strictly on donations).
Hamid pretends he doesn't see any possibilities here, and yet is insisting on training doggy etiquette into him.

All I know is my immediate concern is getting him healthy; beyond that remains to be seen.
It would be nice to find him a warm and friendly permanent home here in Bangalore, but I've seen what happens to puppies and dogs their owners have grown tired of and I really don't trust that allowing CUPA to adopt him out will guarantee his future happiness unless he could become one of the many permanent residents at the shelter.

We brought him into our house last night and scoured the web for a local facility that might help us assuage our need to handle the puppy proactively. We found CUPA.

We arrived at the center this morning via autorickshaw, puppy carefully wrapped in his shawl and deposited comfortably in the carriage of a cloth shoulder bag ensconced within my arms. Walking in it was evident that the shelter does maintain a no-kill policy, with dogs of every shape, size, and malformity adorning the floors and the outside area (which turns out to be quite a substantial piece of property). We handed over the two huge bags of dog food we had brought with us as a donation and were invited back to 'Room 12' where the puppy would be washed and treated for whatever ailed him (besides abandonment). We learned that he is just two months old, and as yet is too young for a vaccination, making him susceptible to the sicknesses carried by the many dogs taken in at the shelter for treatment every day. With this in mind we decided against leaving him there, for now, and instead took a prescription for his skin problem, got him a solid bath (which left him looking quite naked in some spots) and promised in earnest to return to the shelter to volunteer our time.

Room 12 was full of donated kennels and cages housing puppies aged from just two weeks to five months. Some had been in surgery and were healing, bandaged and sleepy. All of them were excited to see us and desperate for attention. The older dogs roamed the entire facility freely, many of them deemed permanent residents due to their suffered abuse, injuries, and special needs.

We spent about an hour at CUPA, getting to know a few of the staff and learning more about how we might help.
Like any animal shelter without government funding they are in desperate need of cash, food, medical supplies, blankets and towels, and a multitude of other things required to care for the animals.

CUPA not only provides rescue, shelter, and free neuter/spay services for dogs and cats, but aids birds, rabbits, and even large farm animals (we saw oxen and a sheep with her lamb in one of the outdoor courtyards.) The center also works tirelessly to educate the public about elephant mistreatment as many temples keep the huge creatures as symbols of a congregation's prosperity - keeping the animals in small rooms that provide little in the way of exercise or even fresh air.

We were so heartened to have found this sanctuary for the many creatures that are otherwise relegated to roaming the streets of Bangalore in search of survival.

I find it very sad and a little ironic that it was Gandhi who said "You can judge the compassion of a culture by the way it treats it's animals..." and yet CUPA is literally the only facility operating with genuine compassion for animals in this area.

I really don't know what we will decide to do with this little guy...I cried when Hamid halfheartedly suggested we leave him at the shelter.
We named him 'Mooshy.' It means 'mouse' in Persian and as you can see, fits him perfectly.