Shanti arrives at Jairam Cafe

The day after after Nanda left, Ippy and I went for a long walk right to the far point past Black beach.

Ippy was looking for bits to make new mobiles and her arms bulged with new finds when we returned.

We sorted all of the various finds into piles and then popped downstairs for some lunch only to find a new arrival in the courtyard.

When we had been staying up at the Marigold Hotel, Angharad had played with the four tiny puppies that lived near to the steps.

She had wanted to take one home but it had been impossible.

The puppies had grown, as puppies and want to do, and new homes had been needed for them.

Kim had offered to bring one to the Jairam Cafe.

After a life wandering freely along the cliffs with her siblings and mother to care for her, the little puppy was finding the transition to a collar and strangers pretty traumatic.

Kim needed to return to work so we tried to tie her in the shade of a tree but this just made things worse.

Ippy offered to take her up to the balcony where it was quiet and she could walk around loose until she got used to her collar. 

Kim thought it was a great idea and so Ippy and I became the puppy's new family!

The first thing she needed was a bed of some description so Kim and Ippy found a large box for her which we took upstairs to put under the shelves just outside our room.

After ten minutes of exploring the balcony she climbed into her box and went sound to sleep. Ippy attached her chain to keep her safe and then she and I had a real heart to heart.

Looking after the puppy was all well and good while we were living at the Jairam but in 3 weeks we would be leaving.

If we spent too much time with her she would find our departure as traumatic as leaving her first family. 

We decided to make her transition to down stairs as smooth as possible. 

We also had 3 weeks to make her as independent as possible! 

In the mean time though I felt she was in need of a cuddle so I climbed into her box and had a little snooze with her.

When she eventually awoke it was clear that the first thing she needed learn was how to walk safely on a lead. 

We spent the afternoon walking around the balcony in between her frequent naps and by evening she was no longer pulling in the opposite direction every time we tried to go somewhere.

Ippy and I had dinner plans with Emma and Baloo so, as the sun began to set, we took her downstairs to hand her over to Kim, who was sitting at his desk ready to oversee the evenings food service.

With all the staff there to run around he now had time to sit with her and she happily curled up under his chair as Ippy and I headed to Baloo's shop for our evening meal.

We returned about 9pm and to say the puppy was pleased to see us is an understatement. She still didn't have a name and Kim asked us if we had any ideas.

Shanti was the first name that popped into my head, it is also the first Indian word I had learnt since I had come to India. 

Kim thought she needed a stronger, braver name as she was destined to be the guard dog of the Jairam when she got a bit bigger but names have a habit of sticking and even though over the next week we thought of various other names,

Shanti was the one that stuck!

Ippy, myself and Shanti went upstairs to play for an hour before bed and to meet Nicole and Andy who had become our neighbours over the past few days.

They were delighted to meet our new guest and with hugs and smiles all round we settled for the night.

Shanti settled well into her new bed until at some point in the night the most horrific noise of pure terror woke us all up. 

Both Andy and Ippy rushed out of the rooms to see what was happening as poor Shanti backed into her box snarling and snapping as she tried to get away from everything including Ippy.

Although Ippy couldn't see what was wrong, Andy said he had glimpsed a large dog running down the stairs as he had come out of his room. 

It seemed that poor Shanti had totally panicked. Ippy calmed and comforted the small pup with a few extra hugs, and then quickly placed a barrier across the stair opening.

We settled back into our beds and the rest of the night passed uninterrupted.

Nicole and Andy were most concerned the next day about Shanti's frightening experience. 

They made such a fuss over her in the morning that by the time they left for their breakfast Shanti was ready to go down stairs with them!

Ippy and I took her special box downstairs and for a few hours we all sat around and played in the courtyard.

Puppies, like babies, sleep rather a lot and Shanti was soon asleep in the shade of her box. 

Ippy and myself watched as she twitched in her dreams and then realised her skin was covered in fleas!!

As soon as she woke up we made the decision to bath her! 

Shanti was not exactly pleased with the shower she received in our rooms but she did look a lot cleaner by the time we had finished. 

There were still a lot of fleas running through her short soft fur but we had managed to reduce them by about half.

When Ippy had lived in the South Pacific in 2010 she had controlled her dogs flea and tick problems with daily sea water baths. 

Although it didn't cure the problem permanently, by bathing them for a few consecutive days at a time she had managed to keep the population to a minimum. 

Tomorrow Shanti would have her first sea bath!!

That evening, after we had dropped Shanti off with Kim, Ippy and myself walked up the steps to meet with everyone at Baloo's.

As we walked past one of the open fronted restaurants we were invited to watch some male 'Bollywood' dancers. 

We still had plenty of time to get to the shop so Ippy ordered a fresh juice and we sat down centre stage.

Music thrummed from two large speakers in the background as four athletic boys stepped onto the stage. 

They stood for a moment, letting the anticipation build as the music did likewise and then exploded into the most amazing dance routine ever.

Arms were thrown out as feet pounded carefully choreographed steps, jumps and kicks taking them off the ground in unison.

Ippy tried to take photos but the speed at which they danced left only a blur upon the lens.

When the dancing was over Ippy and I went over to talk to them. 

They were breathing heavily and a sheen of perspiration covered them all. 

We told them how much we had enjoyed the performance and I took a photo of the boys sitting with Ippy before we left.

Dinner at Baloo's was once again wonderful with great conversation and food but that night we returned to the Jairam by nine thirty to collect Shanti from Kim and the kitchen boys.

Gone were our late nights chatting on the cliff, we now had the responsibility of a puppy to look after!