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As if Priyanka was destined to meet Boxy, life took Priyanka on a trip that would change both their lives. This is the story of Priyanka and Boxy, a puppy. Priyanka and her friend had planned to visit Kedarnath. Kedarnath is one of the Char Dhams (biggest Hindu pilgrimage) where lakhs of devotees come to worship Lord Shiva. The temple is in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, which is about 254 km from Dehradun. On the way, there were many Bugyals and mountains covered with beautiful valleys. Bugyals are alpine pasture lands, or meadows, in higher elevation range between 3,300 meters (10,800 ft) and 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) of the Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, where they are called “nature’s own gardens”, and one of the most beautiful features of mother nature.
On the way to Kedarnath, Ukhimath where Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar have their winter residence. They stayed in a hotel in Ukhimath for the night and at a short distance from the hotel where Priyanka stayed, they could hear puppies crying. She went closer to the puppies and assuming that they were hungry, decided to buy some biscuits and feed the puppies. Then the owner of the tea shop told Priyanka that the mother of the puppies had died and there were 7 puppies left, out of which two had died. She came back to the hotel and told her friends and one of them decided to take a puppy with them. Priyanka was also thinking that she should take one of the puppies with her but it was a Bhutia (Himalayan Sheepdog) dog who could survive only in the mountains, where it is cold for the entire 12 months. Bhutia dogs have a lot of hair so they can tolerate the cold.
Priyanka and her friends went further on their trip to visit Kedarnath and their visit went very well. On their way back, they once again stopped at Ukhimath for the puppies and they saw that there were only two puppies left. After inquiring the tea shop owner told Priyanka that the devotees who had come here already took those puppies with them and now only two puppies are left. Priyanka’s friend picked up a puppy and put it in the car, with just one remaining. Priyanka couldn’t just leave without it, looked at it, picked it up, and drove.
Upon arriving home, Priyanka’s family members were first surprised to see the puppy, but then they appreciated the idea, decided to keep the dog, and named the puppy Boxy. It was a difficult first summer for Boxy, as he fell ill and had to stay in the hospital. Boxy is now healthy and has his hair trimmed short every few days to keep him cool. Taking care of Boxy, Priyanka feels really great that she could provide a very healthy and happy life to a puppy who lost the mommy dog very early. Boxy is a playful, happy, family member who protects and cares for the members of the family.
Maybe not every stray gets a chance to have their lives changed, but with a little consideration from us, it might happen. There are many organizations out there also that will help these animals get a life, so even if one cannot step in on their own, they can inform these organizations and have them take care of poor animals and that will do The Good Around Us!
