Finally a forever home for two boisterous brothers!

Hello hello,

It's a sad fact that from time to time animals end up back at the IAR centre here in Goa for reasons that are beyond everyone's control. Ronnie and Reggie are two such animals. They are brothers and came back to us at about five months old, when the lady who adopted them as young pups became disabled and was no longer able to care for this lively young pair.

This put the young dogs into a category known as 're-homers' - not good news for many animals. If a dog or cat has been a household pet, he or she cannot then go to live in a feral environment, so if another home can't be found there's no long term place for them to go. And as large, feisty, half grown pups Ron and Reg were not the kind of pets that people usually adopt: most come looking for cute puppies and kittens.

But back in Vagator there is a restaurant that is open year round and an animal-loving chef named Sunil works there. IAR's work controlling the dog population is massively successful in the area and consequently there are few pups around that can join a naturally depleting, non-breeding pack. Sunil found that he had far more spare food than was needed to feed the existing beach pack that he is caretaker of: so right at the time when we were all hoping for a miracle to save Reggie and Ronnie, the centre was asked to supply two healthy, sterilised, vaccinated young dogs to join the Vagator pack.

As Reggie and Ronnie had already had so much disruption in their short adolescent lives, it was agreed that a transition period would help them before they were let loose into yet another new environment. The brothers went to spend some time in an IAR-approved foster home where they could be socialised and observed to ensure they were absolutely fit and healthy and wouldn't disrupt or infect the healthy Vagator pack.

Some days later the boys were at last introduced to Sunil, the other dogs and their new home. They were confined for a while, until they associated this, yet another new place, as home. Then the brothers were released into what must be any dog's idea of heaven.

They have a wide expanse of beach to run freely on and explore, a new canine family pack headed by the alpha female Khali who was instantly accepting and protective of them. And they have food and shelter as and when they desire it provided by Sunil who in turn has the support and back up of IAR should he need help with any of the dogs.

So Reggie and Ronnie at last have a forever home, albeit not a conventional house but as members of a happy, healthy pack, with the continued care and love of a human caretaker and the IAR centre. A well-deserved happy ending for the two boisterous brothers, and I couldn't be happier for them!

Love from me,

Olive x