Feisty & Fearless Zui Finds a Forever Home!

By dnp-team On Feb 18, 2021

Miloo and Zui

Zui

Damini Maheshwari & Zui
We are always talking about girl power so for our 100th Issue we bring the story of courageous and zealous Zui. The transition from the streets of Delhi to a loving home, she was destined to meet the Maheshwari family and be an indispensible part of their clan! –by Damini Maheshwari

On a winter evening, my mother told me about a dog she saw at Mandi House, Delhi. She said that the stray dog was shaking hands with everyone and was of the same color as Miloo – our Golden Labrador, the first furry member of the Maheshwari family.
We were already thinking of getting a companion for Miloo. I and my sister got really excited and decided to visit this new dog at the location. Miloo is a male and we wanted a male dog companion for him. So the entire way I and my sister were hoping that our new friend waiting for us at Mandi House also is a male.
Mastered the art of winning hearts
We reached the location and were restlessly waiting. Little did we know that the wait would turn to 4 long hours. We kept asking the shopkeepers and local vendors in the market if they have seen any golden dog who shakes paw with people.

After some research, I got to know that the golden buddy we were looking for is a female dog. The shopkeepers referred to her in various names – Sonam, Sweety, Shabnam, etc. Some fed her dry fruits, some gave her milk to drink. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that she was loved by everyone and now I can understand how she had mastered the art of winning hearts.

Finally after waiting for 4 hours, we saw her. She was looking for some food. I could only see her tail because her face was in the rag where she was looking for food. Suddenly she looked around and ran after a dog. When I saw her running and scaring away that dog, I was totally impressed by her. We understood she is feisty and fearless and our love for her grew more! But we were a little concerned about the bonding between her and Miloo.

Journey of a lifetime – one small step at a time!
The next day we went to the same spot. She was still busy eating. We covered her with a towel. She and us, both were shivering because of fear. I had never picked up an adult stray dog. And, I think she had no experience of getting wrapped up in a towel.

We took her to the vet. He did his necessary vaccines and grooming. He checked her teeth and told us that she was around 6 – 7 years old. Miloo was just 1 year old then. Doctor advised us not to pamper her too much in front of Miloo.

Zui’s homecoming
With all precautions and instructions, we got Zui home. I was surprised to see that a dog like Miloo, who always tried to meet and greet other dogs on road, was so violent towards Zui. And on the contrary, Zui, who used to scare away dogs and make them run away, behaved so timid in front of Miloo. That day I understood what territory meant to a dog.

Time passed and bonds strengthened
We made sure to pamper both of them together, feed them together, reward them with treats together, and hug them together. Zui also started proving her loyalty towards us on various occasions. Within no time, she became papa’s princess. She obeyed him blindly. I wonder how she understood everything. I never saw her sleeping at night for a year. It was after a year that she started sleeping at night. Later, she started sleeping with me on my bed. She was a foodie. Shopkeepers at Mandi House gave her Amul full cream milk. So, we had to give her the same thing. She would reject any other brand of milk. She never liked egg whites. So we always fed her yellow part. Miloo used to eat white part because he was overweight. He was not allowed to eat the yolk, and that’s what we call sharing is caring.

After a year, Miloo and Zui became best friends. They would fight together as a team. They would eat as a team. Zui would leave some milk in her bowl for Miloo. In winters, Miloo would always look out for Zui to cuddle with.

Towards 2017 November, Zui started falling sick. She would not eat. She had stopped barking at strangers. She would walk into the wall and won’t know how to turn around. We showed her to the vet and after getting her tests done, the vet said that her kidneys aren’t functioning properly. Her creatinine level had risen up to 12 and haemodialysis was suggested. Even two rounds of dialysis couldn’t bring her creatinine level down beyond 8. She understood everything. But all she could do was just wag her tail. There was no energy left in her.

The heartbreaking final goodbye
On 1st December 2017, vet said we will have to put her to sleep. There was no other option left. When I enquired about what she would feel during the process of putting her to sleep? They said that she will feel as if she wants to sleep and she’ll go into deep sleep. I am sure that she understood every bit of what we were discussing.

I called up my mom. According to the rituals she got Zui a new saree. Our Nani, who always said that keeps tulsi ji away from dogs, had sent a tusli patta to put in her mouth as per rituals.

Doctors gave the injection. Within a minute she stopped breathing. We closed her eyes, wrapped her in a new saree and took her to the cremation centre Paws to Heaven in Chattarpur where we followed rituals. The ashes were handed over to us and immersion was done by my father in Yamuna. For a month after her death, the caretaker and other people at the park asked about her. She was totally celebrated everywhere.

Till date there is not even a single day when we don’t miss her. She was the prettiest and most obedient girl I have ever met and lives in our heart and memories forever!