Zoey, the indie puppy has travelled a fair amount for her age. The last surviving puppy of her litter, Zoey was found next to her dead mother and siblings in Oshiwara, scrounging for food when she was only 20 days old. She was then taken in by a foster family who nursed her back to good health. After vaccinating and deworming her, the little indie was named Panda, because of the distinctive black-and-white colours around her eyes and head.
But Panda was in danger of being abandoned again as her foster family were soon travelling internationally. But luck was on Panda aka Zoey’s side when local animal rescuer Shivani Sharma temporarily fostered her while looking out for a permanent home. Sharma found her a home, almost 600 kms away in Goa. Panda would go to Glenda Menezes, in Porvorim, Goa. “I saw her picture on Shivani’s Facebook, and fell in love with her immediately,” said Menezes’ daughter Shevaun Rai. “I rescue animals over here in Goa,” she added.
While Menezes was happy to adopt the puppy, she couldn’t come to Mumbai to pick her up. More trouble ensued for her when Rai and Sharma scrambled to find transport options, while the latter managed to secure Panda’s travel plans. “We’ve sent dogs to places outside Mumbai before as well,” said Sharma adding that the total amount needed was ₹15,000. “Animal lovers are very supportive in such cases. One lady chipped in ₹1,000, Panda’s foster mommy chipped in ₹5,000 and the remaining ₹9,000 was sponsored by Aaresh Patel from the UNICORP Group.”
The pup travelled with Yogesh Shinde, a self-employed ‘foster on wheels’ private animal ambulance driver. Shinde is known for travelling all over India to transport dogs to their new homes, and serves as a medical transport whenever needed. “Pushpak Pet Animal Ambulance – pick up and drop service” was to serve as Panda’s private limousine to her new home in Goa. Amongst the hectic organising and effort all involved humans were going through, Panda was happy and content, loving the attention and ready to be with people who would care for her.
As soon as she arrived, the pup was renamed Zoey in her new home in Goa. Menezes trained Zoey well, and “she can now sit down and shake on command”, and has settled well into her new home. Thankfully, Zoey began responding to her new name quickly. “She’s been through all this hassle, and she’s not even two-months-old,” said Menezes. “Zoey’s chances at survival were slim to begin with: no family, and scrounging for food only 20 days after birth.” But fate had other plans for Zoey, she’s now enjoying life near the Mandovi River, safe at home at last