A dog is a dog is a dog

In Kiran Rao’s household, every pet has a story to tell.

With six happy-go-lucky dogs at home, nearly twenty more across her offices and factories and dozens of cats, ten of which live in her home, Kiran Rao pulls off a fascinating juggling act. The elegant, soft-spoken proprietor of Amethyst and Executive Director of KCP Sugars started adopting dogs after she returned to India from Europe ten years ago. “One of our dogs has a unique song, there’s another that has a hilarious howl, some go mad with joy when they greet me and some prefer to say hello with a slow wag of their tails” says Kiran who recalls the fierce loyalty of her childhood dogs Jack and Jill.

The dogs vie for her attention and express affection and jealousy in varying degrees. Though each of them has quirks and a personality, what they all have in common is that they’re mixed-breed dogs, most of whom are rescues. Stating that she’s always felt sorry to see dogs struggle on the streets, Kiran feels that the collective misery of animals can be reduced if the garbage problem is taken care of and if there’s a concerted effort to control the population by sterilising them. She regularly contributes to registered animal welfare charities and observes that it’s a tough job for some organisations that are forced to take on more than they can handle. “It would be nice if we could all extend ourselves a little more; if people adopted a couple of dogs each. They’re great for security and if you can handle one, it’s easy to handle two. They’re more balanced and happy if they have company.”

Explaining why she’d rather adopt cross-breeds than purchase pedigree dogs, she says “(Country dogs) are hardy and better adapted to our climate. Inbred pedigrees have a whole lot of birth defects that people tend to gloss over. And what are mongrels if not just a mixture of different breeds? I’m not concerned about the specific looks that some breeds have because every dog is beautiful in its own way.” In this context, she mentions Moti who was rescued from the airport as a scared puppy thirteen years ago. “He climbs on my lap and lays his head on my shoulder. A dog is a dog is a dog”, she signs off. Wise words from someone who’s loved them long enough to know.