Flying away from Chennai to a home 7200 km away in Prague
Doberman Pattu's story splices episodes of cruelty and kindness. The kindness the canine received has been so out of the way — as you would soon find out, 7200 kilometres out of the way — that the effects of cruelty he suffered have been wiped out, in entirety.
An animal lover in Chromepet rescued Pattu, his bones sticking out due to subcutaneous fat dwindling on account of malnourishment. The problem was deeper than meals having been persistently denied: Pattu was paralysed, and lying down helplessly.
The rescuer brought Pattu's plight to the attention of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB), and before long, Pattu came under the care of Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD).
'He came to us on November 7, 2024,' says Neeraja Venkateswaran, Head of Operations at BMAD.
What followed was intense effort — as Neeraja puts it, 'rigorous physiotherapy' with which 'the team nursed him back to health'.
'He was with us till March 2025 by then he had started walking normally again. Between March and June he was at ROA shelter run by Dinesh Baba in Koovathur on East Coast Road for temporary boarding until his departure to Czech Republic,'says Neeraja.
Czech Republic it was: all the way to Prague from Chennai, and finding his forever home 7200 kilometres away — that was the twist in the tail.
After Pattu's rehabilitation was complete, BMAD posted about him for adoption.
'We were approached by many families for adoption and this one really stood out. '
Pattu had caught the eye of Pavlina Buskova from Czech Republic .
'She has had Doberman dogs all her life, had an admiration for the breed,' explains Neeraja.
Pattu was flown from Chennai to Vienna in Austria with a stop at Dubai. From Vienna in Austria to Prague in Czech Republic the adopters themselves travelled with him on the road.
Says Neeraja: 'We employed the services of 'Pawfly', a pet relocation service. This is our fifth international adoption with them. The adopters chose to take up the expenses.'
Recently, a buoyant Pattu figured in a video Palvina shared with BMAD.
Pattu must be just three years old, not a day over that, and he has already witnessed the duality of human nature with its capability for cruelty as well as compassion.
Another international adoption
Prior to finding Pattu a home abroad, BMAD had driven another adoption of similar proportion.
A labrador in a deplorable condition had been brought to BMAD .
Neeraja recounts the events: 'Momo (a name the Labrador was given at BMAD) came to us on October 4, with swollen paws and she was too weak to walk and had severe tick infestation. Chitra, a regular rescuer and feeder, brought the Lab here. Despite coming from a humble background, Priya and her husband Kannan, an auto driver, have helped many rescues around the city.'
When she heard about Momo, Dr. Shobana Balakrishnan, a long-time donor of BMAD from the United Kingdom, had no doubt in her mind that this dog had to enrich her hearth. And it does enrich Dr. Shobana's hearth at Ashgrove Gardens in Edinburgh.
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News18
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News18
a day ago
- News18
NDRF to soon commission cadaver dogs to assist in disaster operations
New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will soon operationalise its first contingent of cadaver dogs who can sniff out the dead or human remains in a disaster or accident zone, officials in the federal organisation said. About half-a-dozen such dogs are under training at the NDRF battalion bases in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad for the last few months, they said. For training the special canines, largely from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breed, the force has procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body, they said. 'For all these years, the NDRF focussed on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers and hence finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority," a senior NDRF officer explained to PTI. However, we have seen that the force is also part of operations where NDRF personnel are tasked to retrieve bodies from under the debris like in the aftermath of a landslide or train or road accident, he said. Finding bodies or human remains is important to ensure closure to the families and near and dear ones of the victims, he said. Hence, the NDRF few months back embarked on a maiden exercise to train cadaver dogs, the officer said. A second officer said there are hardly any such dogs in the establishment of state rescue forces in India and those who have them, have had a mixed success rate. The success of such dogs depends on a lot of factors, including prevailing weather conditions, humidity, snow and presence of other strong odours in the area of operation. Detection of the dead is harder than the alive, he said. 'Training such dogs is a challenge as it required a human body or body parts which is not easily available. Hence, a special scent that smells like dead human remains was procured for training the NDRF dogs," the second officer said. The dogs are expected to complete their training by the next month and then they will be placed with some specific NDRF battalions out of the total 16 spread across the country, he said. This was one important canine tool missing in our arsenal. Once deployed, we will get to know about the success rate of such dogs, the first officer said. Two such dogs of the Kerala Police were deployed early this year during the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse in Telangana where eight persons were trapped. These dogs were also used during the Wayanad landslides that took place in 2024. The force was raised in 2006 and at present has a strength of about 18,000 men and women rescuers deployed across the country as part of 16 battalions and over 30 regional response centres. PTI NES NB view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 16:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Pattu, the Doberman rescued in Chennai, finds forever home 7,200 km away in Prague
Cruelty follows a pattern, gliding down a groove chiselled with indifference and abuse. Kindness follows one too, traversing a path cobbled with engagement and empathy. An astounding act of kindness usually ends up enhancing the pattern. An incredibly villainous act can add to the pattern too, but seldom to the degree with which kindness can. Doberman Pattu's story splices episodes of cruelty and kindness. The kindness the canine received has been so out of the way — as you would soon find out, 7,200 kilometres out of the way — that the effects of cruelty he suffered have been wiped out, in entirety. An animal lover in Chromepet rescued Pattu, his bones sticking out due to subcutaneous fat dwindling on account of malnourishment. The problem was deeper than meals having been persistently denied: Pattu was paralysed, and lying down helplessly. The rescuer brought Pattu's plight to the attention of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB), and before long, Pattu came under the care of Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD). 'He came to us on November 7, 2024,' says Neeraja Venkateswaran, Head of Operations at BMAD. What followed was intense effort — as Neeraja puts it, 'rigorous physiotherapy' with which 'the team nursed him back to health'. 'He was with us till March 2025; by then, he had started walking normally again. Between March and June, he was at ROA shelter run by Dinesh Baba in Koovathur on East Coast Road for temporary boarding until his departure to Czech Republic,' says Neeraja. Czech Republic it was: all the way to Prague from Chennai, and finding his forever home 7,200 kilometres away — that was the twist in the tail. After Pattu's rehabilitation was complete, BMAD posted about him for adoption. 'We were approached by many families for adoption and this one really stood out.' Pattu had caught the eye of Pavlina Buskova from Czech Republic . 'She has had Doberman dogs all her life, had an admiration for the breed,' explains Neeraja. Pattu was flown from Chennai to Vienna in Austria with a stop at Dubai. From Vienna in Austria to Prague in Czech Republic, the adopters themselves travelled with him on the road. Neeraja says: 'We employed the services of 'Pawfly', a pet relocation service. This is our fifth international adoption with them. The adopters chose to take up the expenses.' Recently, a buoyant Pattu figured in a video Palvina shared with BMAD. Pattu must be just three years old, not a day over that, and he has already witnessed the duality of human nature with its capability for cruelty as well as compassion. Another international adoption Prior to finding Pattu a home abroad, BMAD had driven another adoption of similar proportion. A Labrador in a deplorable condition had been brought to BMAD . Neeraja recounts the events: 'Momo (a name the Labrador was given at BMAD) came to us on October 4, with swollen paws and she was too weak to walk and had severe tick infestation. Chitra, a regular rescuer and feeder, brought the Lab here. Despite coming from a humble background, Priya and her husband Kannan, an auto driver, have helped many rescues around the city.' When she heard about Momo, Dr. Shobana Balakrishnan, a long-time donor of BMAD from the United Kingdom, had no doubt in her mind that this dog had to enrich her hearth. And it does enrich Dr. Shobana's hearth at Ashgrove Gardens in Edinburgh.
