Have you ever looked into the eyes of a dog that waits for you on the street when you’re late? The way it lights up the moment you turn into the lane, as if you were the only thing it had been waiting for all day. They don’t ask for much. Sometimes, a simple biscuit is enough to feel like a feast.
But if you stay a little longer, if you let them into your routine, your life, it becomes a kind of love that is hard to name.
This National Pet Day, The Better India turns into its own newsroom, its own people to find the ways in which rescued and adopted animals find their way into our lives.
These animals were never “just taken in.” In their own ways, they chose to stay and transformed the lives they entered.
Bhawna’s Jojo
Back in 2018, when Bhawna was coming back home from college one day, a sudden halt in traffic caught her attention. In the middle of the road sat a tiny puppy, frozen in fear, eyes shut tight as vehicles stood still around him. Bhawna parked her scooter and rushed there, picked him up, and carried him to safety.
This was followed by an hour-long search, walking through lanes, knocking on doors, hoping to find his mother or anyone who recognised him. But there was no one.
Stopped traffic, grabbed a scarf, and secured a home — Jojo’s plan was simple and effective.
As she stood there, unsure of what to do next, the puppy clung to her.
The possibility that he had already found his person comes almost automatically.
She bought bread and milk from a nearby shop and fed him. That was all she could do at that moment. Then she settled him safely by the roadside and began to walk away. But Jojo was not ready for that!
He tugged at her scarf, grabbed it with his little mouth as if asking her not to leave. Bhawna, now a social media content manager at The Better India-Hindi, knew then she had to take him home.
Jojo came as a surprise addition to her family and to Buggy, her older dog. A visit to the vet revealed he was barely a month old. Right now, Jojo is the hero of her home, growing alongside Buggy as a companion.
A note to Jojo:
I thought I was the one who brought you home that day. But somewhere along the way, you became the one who filled it with warmth, and a kind of love I didn’t know I needed. I may have given you a home, but you, most certainly, have filled it with love.
Sumi’s team of dogs (Chief: Cuddles)
For Sumi Borah, this story begins in her grandmother’s home.
Growing up, her grandmother’s home was always filled with dogs. And alongside that, she saw her mother feeding, and caring for all the dogs. And in those everyday moments, something took root. Sumi’s love for dogs.
Sumi Borah cares for 11 rescued animals, building a home shaped by years of working with community dogs and cats.
Now, that love is also responsibility for her. Sumi, associate director of people and culture at The Better India, now steps in when any community animal is injured, figures out medical care for the street dogs and cats. It has been about 15 years now, but Sumi doesn’t count it that way.
Today, her life is shared with 11 pets, with Cuddles and Bubbly being like a sitcom pair. A total of eleven different personalities, eleven stories that found their way to her. It can be chaotic, but it is also full in a way that leaves no space untouched.
A note to her pets:
Thank you for choosing me, even on the days I didn’t feel like I deserved it. You are not always easy to care for, but you have given me far more than I could ever give you. In my most difficult moments, you have been my quiet strength, teaching me patience, grounding me in compassion, and helping me be kinder not just to others, but to myself. You didn’t just come into my life. You changed it in ways I will always be grateful for.
Sloka’s Ghonta, Goblin, Gutli and Aloo
Sloka, lead script-writer at The Better India, had no idea that a rescued community animal had the potential to rewrite what “home” meant.
This was until Goblin came. Goblin is her first cat, an orange, short-haired cat that was found abandoned as a kitten. Sloka brought him home when he was barely two months old. Three years later, he moves through the house as if he owns it.
Almost everyone in Sloka’s family has been “dog people”, but Goblin changed it.
Started with one orange cat. Ended with four tiny landlords. Goblin, Ghonta, Gutli & Aloo now bring in the fun in Sloka’s house every day.
She read up on cats and found that cats need to be brought up in pairs since they’re not solitary animals, despite what their general disposition might make one believe
So, just two months later, Sloka found Ghonta. A calico, one of the last surviving kittens from a litter marked by a string of accidents.
For a while, it was just Goblin and Ghonta. Then came Gutli, found by neighbourhood children inside a building during a move. No one quite knew where he had come from, but he stayed.
And then, Aloo. Found in a drain during the rains, crying alongside her siblings. Sloka’s mother, who feeds stray dogs every night, helped rescue them. One by one, the others found homes. Aloo didn’t.
Aloo was given a temporary shelter in Sloka’s home, but she stayed. She also had a terrible separation anxiety. She saw a home in Sloka, so letting her go was no longer possible.
Now, all four of them gather around as she types out scripts.
A note to Goblin, Ghonta, Gutli, and Aloo:
You didn’t come into my life all at once. I was uncertain, yes, but you became the assurance I didn’t know I needed through your presence and those loving eyes. I thought I was making space for you, but you were the ones who filled it with love (read: fun, fun, and more fun).
Drishti’s Molly
It was a walk in the park, quite literally as the idiom suggests. Molly came that easily to Drishti. As if they were destined to meet.
Drishti Swami, junior designer at The Better India, was taking a walk through a park when she noticed a tiny dog trailing behind her. Just enough to be noticed.
Drishti simply turned and brought her home. No overthinking went into it.
There was, of course, one problem. Her father wasn’t home.
From “you can’t keep her” to “she’s family” — Molly made sure she stayed.
Drishti was initially happy thinking that she had gotten away with it, but he was to come back and see Molly, that fear remained. Drishti expected a firm resistance to the sudden addition.
But guess what? He was furious, the story is not that smooth.
But his heart softened after a while, he could see in front of him a tiny, vulnerable life. Who on earth can remain angry at that for long!
So, Molly stayed.
Seven years later, Molly is a big girl now and she doesn’t shy away from showing the big girl energy every now and then.
A note to Molly:
Molly, I hope you know that I love you so much — even though you’re a little monster sometimes and bite me.
Bhakti’s Pillu, Sherua, Jaddu, and Chikku
Pillu came to Bhakti when she was grieving the loss of her first pet, the first time she had known that kind of absence. The house carried it too, and everything felt heavier than before.
That’s when Pillu arrived. A two-month-old kitten. Tiny, restless, full of mischief.
Thereafter, for Bhakti Gholave, Social Media Manager Marathi at The Better India, the silence of the story began to change. It was filled with unexpected bursts of energy and moments that made Bhakti laugh without warning, once again.
Bhakti was learning to live with loss. Now, Pillu, Jaddu, Sheru & Chikku, and five strays wait for her every day. Life has its ways.
Then came Jaddu, a rescued cat, bringing with him a different kind of presence. Together, Pillu and Jaddu became her world. And just when it felt complete, it grew again.
Pillu gave birth to Sheru and Chikku.
Their routines, their moods, their safety became Bhakti’s responsibility. In caring for them, Bhakti found love. Because this wasn’t always who she was. She hadn’t grown up loving animals; in fact, she had once been afraid of them.
But today, her love for the four-legged extends beyond her home. Five stray dogs wait for her every day, not just for food, but for the bond they’ve come to recognise.
A note to Pillu, Sherua, Jaddu, and Chikku:
You came into my life unexpectedly, but you became my everything. You’ve tested my patience, made my days chaotic, and sometimes even stressful — but never once have you failed to make me smile. I may not be a perfect pet parent, but I promise to always protect you, love you, and give you the safest home I can. You are not just my pets. You are my family.
Anuja didn’t bring them home, but helped them find one
For Anuja Vartak, creative lead of social media at The Better India, this story takes shape a little differently.
She doesn’t have a rescued animal at home. But her days have long been shaped by them.
As a child, she would stop for every dog she passed on the street. There was always a familiarity in those brief encounters, something that stayed even after she walked away. But she also knew what bringing one home would mean. A pet needs years of commitment. With studies ahead and a life that was still uncertain, she chose to hold back from that promise.
That choice led her elsewhere.
Anuja held back from adopting, but never from caring. Today, she’s part of every happy ending she helps create
After her Class 10 boards, she began spending time at adoption camps. At first, it was simply about being around animals. But over time, the visits began to stretch. She stayed back longer, paid closer attention.
She saw litters born on the streets, puppies separated too early, and dogs that needed care they weren’t receiving. She also noticed something else. Some of them waited longer than the rest.
That stayed with her.
Gradually, she began working alongside volunteers, learning what happens before an animal reaches a home. The rescues, the medical care, and the effort it takes to prepare them for a family. Today, she helps organise adoption camps and speaks to potential pet parents, guiding them through the decision.
She still does not have a dog of her own.
But her days are filled with them in other ways. With the in-between moments, with the stories that move through her hands. And sometimes, with a message on her phone, a photo of a dog she once knew, now settled into a home.
She keeps those close.
A note to all the indies:
I may not have brought you home, but pieces of my heart belong to each of you. In every life you’ve stepped into, in every family you’ve changed, I’ve seen what love looks like. You don’t just make great pets, you make us better humans.
If there’s one thing these stories remind us, it’s that sometimes, you don’t find a pet. They find you.
