Gujjia the great

Gujia is the name of a popular sweet in North India – traditionally enjoyed most during the Holi festival. Our three-legged dog named Gujia, is equally sweet. He was named Gujia by “Red Paws”- noble organization that rescues and cares for stray dogs. Once during “Holi” festival, Gujia met with an accident. His leg got crushed by an insensitive, careless driver, who ran away, leaving Gujia bleeding on a dusty road. Luckily, he was noticed by “Red Paws”. They brought him to their shelter and gave him medical care which unfortunately required an amputation. After a long recovery, Gujia was ready to be placed in a forever home – and that is how Gujia came in our life - for which I am very grateful to them. With his kind looks and gentle behaviour, Gujia stole our hearts in no time and became darling to us all. But he dislikes two things - all loud sounds, especially the doorbell, and anytime he’s left alone at home even for a while. In both such situations, his style of protest is unique. He just looks up to the ceiling and starts howling in a soft, long-drawn and melodious wail that sounds unbearably pathetic and causes irrepressible laughter from anyone who witnesses the phenomenon. Recently, one winter morning, Gujia was happily digging mud in a quiet corner of our garden, while Rajbir, our driver entered and without noticing Gujia, he started his car – making an abrupt noise, and that made Gujia totally unnerved. In a second, he ran away from home so fast that nobody could catch him. The next three days and two nights were a totall nightmare for us. We had no sleep or hunger, and searched for him in every nook and corner of our neighborhood but could not find him. We possted his picture on social media and were waiting to get some information. Thanks to thoughtful and kind people, and technology, after seeing his photo on social media, one smart girl named Amiti, noticed Gujia sitting on a dusty road, under a tree. She was returning from her office in the evening. She took his picture and sent it to me to confirm. A thin ray of hope shone through. I thanked her profusely and sent my driver and maid to accompany her to the spot where Amiti saw Gujia last. They all rushed there, but could not find Gujia. He’d moved away somewhere else to be safe and stay protected in the winter night. Being a dog lover, Amiti already got some posters ready with Gujia’s picture, and with the help my staff she pasted them on the walls of the market place. Her brilliant idea worked like magic. Next morning, at eleven I got a call from Rajeevji, another dog lover, who informed me that he’d seen Gujjia at a particular location. My rescue team immediately reached there and saw our braveheart was sitting on a dusty lane next to a very busy main road. Hearing a familiar voice, Gujia looked up with hope, and totally exhausted. He had no energy to bark or even to get up. Rajbir lovingly carried him and put him in the car. Fighting and winning another battle of his life, Gujia the great came home, unhurt this time but totally drained of energy. We celebrated his home coming by giving him his favourite treats and taking selfies with big smiles while he sat in the middle like a king. We invited my two newly found two dog lover friends who helped us find Gujia and bring him back. This drama ended well, made us more thankful to God and to all our friends and helping souls. It taught us to stay strong and positive even in the middle of crisis. Long live Gujjia!