Animal Angels in the News

They say every dog has his day. But on 25 March, the students of Jidd School proved this statement to be more than just an overused cliché. The special children celebrated the first birthday of their favorite dog, Kutty and made her day special.

The celebration was complete in all respects. The main hall was decorated and a special cake was ordered. Before the cake cutting ceremony, the principal of Jidd School, Shyamshree Bhonsle, performed an aarti and applied tikka to the birthday girl, who was dressed up in new clothes. The cake was cut amidst all the singing and clapping, followed by bursting of the huge balloon that was full of chocolates. This was followed by a round of gifts for the dog. One class had brought her a cap, while another got her a pack of Marie biscuits. In keeping with the spirit, the therapists and teachers also brought her a gift: a pair of glares. "We wanted to make this a truly fun occasion for the children, and so we did all that could to make them happy," said Minal Lonkar who trains the dog. As Kutty has learnt to shake hands, each student individually wished her "Happy Birthday."

Kutty is a female Labrador who has been with the students of Jidd School since June 2003. According to Lonkar, Kutty is perhaps the first official therapy dog in India, to be used in a school to improve behavior patterns of its students. "Kutty provides companionship to these differently-able children and her presence has positive effect on their emotional and spiritual well being," believes Lonkar.

Kutty, which literally means small, is the youngest of the three siblings. Her siblings are also in Thane, growing up in a factory. Asked how she thought of keeping a dog in the special school, Bhonsle said that she got her inspiration from the TV channel Animal Planet, which often shows how trained dogs have positively affected the behavior patterns of handicapped children, old people and special children. Kutty stays with Bhonsle and accompanies her to school every morning, returning home every evening. Bhonsle adds, "Kutty is used to this schedule now and looks forward to attending school every morning. Yet, as a precautionary measure, we keep her in my office and allow her to be with the children only during therapeutic sessions, in the presence of trained therapists."

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