Indore: Gynaecologist Dr Usha Shrivastava is an animal lover. She takes care of her dog with hearing and vision impairment. The dog named Chotu has lived longer than average survivors and is 18 years old now. Talking about her love for animals, Usha said, “An animal has stronger sense of love and feelings than most humans do.”
She recalls feeding stray dogs at her parents’ house before marriage. Her attachment with animals grew with age and experience. “After getting married, we brought home our first pet Julie, a Pomeranian in 1979,” Usha recalled. Other than Julie, she has been feeding other dogs. “I give eggs, biscuits and chapattis to all dogs in my colony,” Usha said. All dogs follow her home and guard her house in return.
“Julie gave birth to four puppies, out of which two were adopted by my colleagues,” Usha said. The other two named Jonty and Chotu lived with Shrivastava family. Jonty was stolen from near their house few years back. Chotu was healthy and active dog. Few years back, Chotu was diagnosed with cataract and loss of hearing.
She went to veterinarian who refused to operate it. “Because Chotu has lived much longer than average life, there is big chance that we will lose him if we inject anaesthesia,” Usha said. Accepting it is as fate, she took Chotu under her care. Though Chotu often falls sick and her family members complain, she protects Chotu like a mother. “I understand problems of my children with regard to Chotu as we have a small baby in our house now. But Chotu also needs care,” Usha said. The family also keeps bird houses and feeds birds every day.