Have you ever seen a dog who would run away when offered food?

Unlike dogs, who are often seen as garbage disposals in our community, willing to devour anything from three-day-old rice to a week-old chapati, we came across a dog who refused to eat anything.

Jamun's ordeal began because of an individual who harboured intense hatred towards him. Whenever Jamun sought refuge under a tree or attempted to rest, this person, if we can even call them "human," would cruelly pelt stones at him and the food set out for him.

As this torture continued day after day, a deep-seated fear of food began to take hold of Jamun. To make his misery even worse, he was involved in an accident that left both his hind legs injured, and without anyone to tend to him, his legs started to lose sensation.

Upon discovering Jamun's condition, we realised that he struggled to walk due to paralysis in both legs. We initiated various therapies to help him, but none proved entirely effective until his nutritional needs were met. His fear constantly compelled him to flee from his food bowl.

Our dedicated team decided to address his fear by sitting with him in his kennel. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Today, Jamun is completely free from his food-related fear and can walk on his own. However, our anxiety now centres around what state Jamun might return to at this time.