I’ll have Whiskey

Whiskey was welcomed back with an aarti by the society members after he went missing for seven days

If anyone had a doubt that dog is man's best friend, they only need to see footage of Ukranians shellshocked by the invasion of Russia, going without food, water and medicine for days, but clutching onto to their cats and dogs, who will accompany them as they walk miles to cross borders and into neighbouring countries.

In Mumbai, the same love played out last month when a stray dog returned after eight days of vanishing from his Naigaon neighbourhood in Dadar East. The young men of the area took it upon themselves to find him after he disappeared from Prabhadevi early February. #FindingWhiskey was the call on social media that week as families felt compelled to network and find him. When he did return, it had to be a viral moment, driving back in a kaali peeli from near Wilson College, Girgaum Chowpatty, where he was found. An aarti was ready to welcome him.

Whiskey was adopted by a few boys in the society two-and-a-half-years ago. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

When we return to the streets that Whiskey calls home, to look for him, Brendon Fernandes, the 22-year-old fitness trainer who was part of the group that found him, tells us that the dog has been a co-resident for two-and-a-half years. "We were celebrating Ganesh Jayanti on the day, and the idol was taken to Prabhadevi for immersion. Whiskey went along with one of the young boys. Scared by the firecrackers, he ran towards Prabhadevi market. It was only the next day that he told us that Whiskey was lost, and we launched the search immediately."

Whiskey is your average indie street dog, making it tough for everyone to identify him on the streets. On our visit, he stands out from his fellow strays because he wears a military green tee put on by one of the residents. Even the local fruit wallah knows him. "He is famous in all of Naigaon," Fernandes says with pride. "He may go anywhere, but people will feed him and know him by name."

Fernandes says their three-day search across Worli, Lower Parel and Prabhadevi was unsuccessful. "In Lower Parel, we met a lady who feeds strays. She said she may have seen him, so we searched every street and bylane there from morning to evening, two days straight," recalls Fernandes. Disappointed, they decided to take to social media. The post attracted help from across the city, with the helpful flooding them with photos. However, he recalled that he got a few false leads and prank calls also, stating that people saw the dog. They decided to then look for him only after getting visual confirmation. "A girl in Walkeshwar then sent in a picture saying that she saw the dog outside Wilson College. After a thorough search of the area, we spotted him near August Kranti Maidan. He was injured on the neck, but we heard that a lady had been kind enough to take him to the vet and treat him."

Fernandes rues that a lot of societies frown on feeding strays, with violent attacks reported against feeders. But for this neighbourhood, Whiskey is not a stray, he's family. He was adopted by a group of boys around Kala Chowki. And he soon became one of their own. "Whiskey is compassionate. If a girl in the society returns late, he will sit at his usual spot and then follow her up the stairs to her door," Fernandes laughs. He says that after his mother passed away, he had spotted Whiskey at the nearby cemetery. "He will come with you everywhere. If you are going on an errand by bike, he will follow you until you take him on a round and then drop him back."