Karuna Pandey and her eternal poochie companions

Karuna Pandey, a Bollywood actress, who acted in films like The Bypass (2003), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) and Bollywood Diaries (2016), is talented, dignified face of the small screen too. In her busy life, the only thing that gives her  immense pleasure is her love for animals. Dogs & Pups discovers her happy soul with happy heart…brimming with compassion for the animals.

 
Karuna Pandey is most often remembered for TV series like Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, Mere Rang Mein Rangnewali, Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, Bhaage Re Mann and many more. Here, she shares her love for canines. To begin with, we asked how this eternal journey of poochie companionship actually started, and she revealed that she has always been an ardent animal lover.
 
Sherry – my love
Getting nostalgic about her first pet, she narrated, “My dad was in the army and we used to get big bungalows to live in, so I loved that time of having pet. Dogs by nature love mud, grass, open space, etc. During that time, we had many pets which included dogs, cats, deer, rabbits and birds. Both my parents were also animal lovers.” Her love for Sherry, a GSD (her first pet dog) was eternal…remembering her fond memories, she shared, “When my dad got posted to Chennai, we got Sherry. She stayed with us for 12 years. And strangely, the moment my dad was diagnosed with cancer, she silently passed away. We feel that she realised that now we are going to get busy taking care of dad, so she left for heavenly abode without asking for any care from us.” On asking about any special moment she shared with Sherry, she added, “Sherry was divine, she was so wonderful. She never complained about anything. My dad used to get posted to new places after every two years and she used to travel on bus, truck, train and airplane without showing any tantrums. She was a part of our lives; every morning she went to garden with my mom to collect flowers for puja. She was part of our family, we loved her very much.”
 
Smitten by paws!
Today, Karuna is blessed with three canine kids. “My pets Romeo, Barbie and Maw brighten my mood at any given time. In general, I am an animal lover, so I try to take care of stray dogs as well. Hence, the mere presence of them around me makes me happy. Animals are great companions and I love spending time with my pets. My favourite thing to do on film sets, besides shooting, is to spend time with them – before, after and in-between shots,” she shared. She also brings food for strays to the shooting sites from her home every day!
To know more about her current pets, we asked her to share a story of their homecoming and she explained, “Barbie and Romeo are like my son and daughter; I can’t imagine my life without them. I belong to them. Romeo had hip dysplasia when I adopted him and Barbie too was suffering from skin infection, she was three and a half months old. Both of them are fine now and have actually brightened my world.”
 
Caring ‘n’ sharing
On asking about taking care of them, she said, “My maids are always there to take care of my pets and I love the fact that they are also equally compassionate about them. Moreover, my husband is a film director and he has his office at home, so most of the time he is there at home. We have this policy to never leave them alone at home.” “I take extra care of their food needs. They are getting regular  rooming sessions at Tailwaggers and Dr Talwarkar (in Mumbai) is always there to take care of their health issues, including regular vaccinations,” she added.
 
Nurtured…naturally!
She is a compassionate animal lover, who believes in giving natural environments to animals and feels that natural instinct of dogs should be nurtured by us. Dogs by nature love space, grass, mud and water, so we must take initiatives to give them all those necessities, which they love naturally,” she added. On asking about Romeo and Barbie, she shared, “My dogs love freedom…they are enjoying all the luxuries. We take them for walks every day on Malad Road in Mumbai. When we have time, we take them for camping. They enjoy vacations at pet resorts… my babies are well pampered.”
 
Message to pet parents!
“Love your pet like your own children. Dog lover is a special person and no other person can feel the same love as we do,” concluded Karuna.