Sher, the ‘Tiger,’ Guard Dog Puts Her Life on the Line to Protect Her Kind Guardian

Looking at Sher, the little timid dog, you wouldn’t think that she had the ferocious capacity to harm a fly. However, looks can be deceiving and in Sher’s case, her shy demeanor masks her incredible bravery and courage. Sher is a street dog who has spent the last five years alongside Anil Kumawat, a small factory owner in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.

While Sher is not Kumawat’s pet, in the sense we would think of in Western terms, Kumawat cares for and loves Sher just as much as any guardian does a domesticated pet. In fact, Sher is a local gem and is known by most of the residents of the block she monitors. While she is well-known and loved across the board, Sher did not earn her name, which is Hindi for “Tiger,” for being the sweetest dog on the block.

Sher’s Heroic Act

Sher’s story begins on a night in late June when she was stationed in her usual spot, outside Kumawat’s factory. That particular night a group of thieves tried to enter the factory, however, they were met not by a dog who simply rolled over and let the thieves have their way with the goods inside, they were met with a true tiger.

Sher ferociously kicked into protection mode and  prevented the thieves from entering. Unfortunately, though she was successful in her mission, she did not leave the confrontation unscathed. In an attempt to deter the dog and gain entry, the thieves brutally attacked Sher with metal pipes.

The following morning, Kumawat discovered Sher in terrible condition, barely holding on after the long painful night. Sher’s guardian immediately called Animal Aid Unlimited to help the poor pup. Claire Abrams of Animal Aid Unlimited tells OGP, that when they arrived on the scene, “[Sher’s guardian] was very emotional. He has been feeding and caring for Sher every day for the last five years and when talking with us asked several times, ‘Why did this old girl have to be beaten?’ He asked us to please do everything we possible can to make sure she heals.”

And so Sher was immediately rushed to the Animal Aid hospital for care. Abrams explains, “On Sher’s first day at Animal Aid we were worried that she might never stand again.”

Having sustained multiple blunt trauma wounds, the team was concerned that the damage done to this docile animal would be too much for her aging body to handle.

Abrams tells OGP,”There were wounds and holes all over her body where she had been beaten and she was collapsed.”

But it was clear that Sher still had some fight in her yet! By the following day Sher was making efforts to stand and as the weeks progressed she was able to even walk on her own. Abrams tells OGP, “now she is able to walk all over the garden attached to our kennels. Her appetite is slowly coming back and the wounds are quickly healing!”

Sher’s strength and courage were not only noted by her Animal Aid rescuers, but her story had become quite the topic of conversation within her neighborhood.

The Triumph of a Community Dog

“When our rescuers arrived at the factory, more than 15 neighbors and employees of the factory were gathered and all were sharing their version of her heroic story,” Abrams explains to OGP,” Her primary guardian Anil thanks her for protecting him and his factory. He named her Sher which means tiger in Hindi because ‘she is the tiger of our lane,’ he told us with pride.”

Sher is considered to be quite old for a community dog, it is estimated she is about 10-years old. The way that her guardian and neighborhood caretakers speak of Sher, it is clear she is well cared for and greatly loved .

Abrams explains to OGP that, “despite poverty, and despite even a culture that doesn’t take on pet guardianship in the same way that its done in the West, the phenomenon of community dogs, loved and protected by many individuals but not kept inside the home, is to be respected. ”

Sometimes a ‘Home’ is Much More Than Just a House

Although Sher does not live inside of a home, the neighborhood and its many occupants are ‘home’ to Sher. Her actions have proven the unconditional love and loyalty she has for her caretaker and the street she has grown to love as well. Abrams tells OGP, “We are hoping that she recovers fully as fast as possible so that she can return to her neighborhood which she is obviously missing.”

The lesson we can learn from Sher is one that extends past our everyday perceptions about what it means to love a pet. In the West, we have a very segmented purview on animal guardianship, caring immensely for our own pets, but all too often this care is not extended to the other animals we come into contact with. When we see a dog roaming around by itself, we assume there is something wrong–perhaps it is feral or is carrying a disease–and don’t always think to lend a hand.

Abrams tells OGP, ” In India, not everyone does like dogs, but the beauty of the culture is that they are accepted, both by law and by the people. In the West, there would be far too many people, even dog lovers, who wouldn’t accept dogs living on the street,” she continues, “[some] would rather euthanize them in shelter than listen to their barks at night and doggie ways during the day. In the vast majority of cities throughout India, dogs are not killed simply because they don’t live in a house.”

While of course, differences in the cultural perception and treatmentof animals cannot be altered as quickly as many animal lovers would hope, Sher’s story is one that is important to keep in mind. Although she was the “legal property” of her caretaker, he went out of his way to feed and care for Sher and further saw that she was properly cared for when she was injured.

Abrams tells OGP, “the example of Sher and her bond with her guardians is not unusual.”

Extending care and compassion to animals regardless of their relation to you is an amazing trait to have, after all you never know when they might return the favor–like Sher.

All image source: Animal Aid Unlimited