And finally ............

We have had such a brilliant time and would recommend this to anyone who wants to do something a little different on holiday.

We have been lucky enough to be invited around to two Indian family homes, all because of working at ARK.  JJ, the waiter at our favourite restaurant, also invited us around to his home yesterday. This was completely unexpected as we had only gone to visit another property he owns which is available for rent.  (Well worth considering and can accommodate 4 couples.) He also has 2 Labradors that he has re-homed from ARK - meet Tiger and Jacqui :  

We never expected to receive such hospitality from one family, let alone two, and we felt really lucky.

Thanks for visiting our blog - we will continue to add updates re ARK, and also a link to their new website once it is up and running. In the meantime, please visit their Facebook page (see links) and sign their petition if you so wish. 

Time to say goodbye !

Every day when we had finished walking the dogs we spent a bit of time with each of them - this one had a cuddle on my lap every day. We called her Jo-Jo, not sure what her name was (I'm sure some of them get different names all the time !). She was always out for at least 3 walks every day, always off lead but with a brilliant recall. A real special dog.  

This is the grumpy old boy with the dodgy back leg, and another real scruffy dog - both loved a fuss. 

Not sure who's more tired in this photo. Will, having finished all the walks, or the little dog who really didn't want to go for a walk, but did !

Last day at ARK

Had a bit of a problem updating the blog as we had no wi-fi / internet access at the hotel on Monday or Tuesday. Thought I'd update the blog on the plane instead, and then we ended up on flights with no wi-fi . as well. So just unpacked and now doing the final update.

Our last day was a real mix of emotions. As well as being sad that we were leaving, we also arrived on Monday to find that 3 dogs had passed away over the weekend, 1 had been re-homed, and 1 had found a new home.

The following 3 dogs are the ones who passed away over the weekend:

This one had no name. She was a lovely dog who, due to severe neck wounds, was unable to come out for a walk yet but was making really good progress. Her neck was nearly healed and she seemed to be thriving.   

She lived quite happily with Max, the Great Dane, the German Shepherd , and the Doberman. She must have had an underlying health issue that just hadn't been picked up. A very pretty dog who was also very affectionate. 

This is Mummy Dog. She is the dog who had survived being euthanised previously, but she had a fit and didn't recover. She was full of beans when we took her out on Friday. As soon as she saw you approaching the compound she would start yapping away as if to say "Where have you been, I'm ready to go now !" 

The poor Labrador who had been dumped last week with the horrific maggot wound. She was just too poorly to recover from her wound. . If she had been treated as soon as the wound appeared she would have made a full recovery. 

Max , the great dane, and the german shepherd pictured above both have new homes. Max has only gone on a temporary basis; he is going to spend some time at a hotel run by a British lady. There is another german shepherd who is currently in quarantine at ARK, and as soon as he is released he will be swapping places with Max. The german shepherd pictured above has now gone to live with an Indian family. 

How good is the Doberman starting to look ! These photos were taken just over 2 weeks apart and she is really starting to look healthier. Her coat is nearly fully grown back and she is starting to put on weight. She is a pleasure to walk and will make someone a wonderful pet. She has made new friends now the Great Dane and Shepherd have gone  - she get's on well with everyone !

Out with her new friends! I am so happy as well as the tan and white dog is the one who has been here for 3 years and is so scared of people. She's finally out for a walk and enjoys being stroked ! 

Will out on his last 'first' walk of the day. There are 2 more dogs running free somewhere in the distance. First walk is always 4 dogs on lead and 3 running free. 

New arrivals on our last day - mum and 5 very young pups which had been dumped. 

Another new arrival who had also been dumped. This dog was so friendly and other than a horrible maggot infested ear, appeared to have been very well cared for. He had obviously been someone's pet, so it is just so sad that they are dumped once they become poorly. 

No, these aren't stills from Point Break or Hawaii 5-O, we've had the weekend off and while I went for a massage and some reflexology, Will did a little bit of body boarding. This is on a beach about 20 minutes walk from where we are staying. The waves do get pretty big here and are good enough to body board on. Some people even manage to stand on their boards as well; not Will though !!

It's ok .............. several moments after this picture was taken some people turned up and managed to roll him back into the sea ! 

Time to meet Julie. She's been here for many years and is a real character. Every morning she is ready to go for a walk and is one of the 3 dogs who don't need to go out on a lead. She normally comes out for 2 or 3 walks, waddling along and sometimes getting up to a run. We have no idea what she does overnight, but every morning when you come in she is looking really scruffy. She's a bit like an Indian Millie - she may be female, but she ain't no lady!

Meet Bambi ! He is not very old at all and came in a few weeks ago. It was touch and go as to whether he would survive, but Avis took him into her property and care, and he is now fighting fit. He is still a little timid, but his confidence is growing. He continues to live with Avis in her property (opposite the ARK centre) and 7 other dogs. 

Avis has divided her property in half: she lives on one side in the top of a property, with volunteers below,and her manager lives on the other side with yet another group of dogs ( all permanent residents). The above pictures are of the dogs who live with the manager.  

This dog lives with Avis, and has done so for about 10 years. Another example of a disabled dog who, with the right care, continues to live a comfortable life. No problem with vocal cords though; any other dog who tries to get near when a fuss is being made of this dog gets a good growl to warn them off ! 

Two more dogs who live with Avis, both checking out the puppy Bambi. The one on the right with the big black splodge in the centre of the back is quite a naughty dog. If anything is left on the side in the kitchen,it is considered to be fair game and up for grabs! (Will has passed on Andy's tips for Avis to try)

This is Ramses. He is Avis' top dog and rules the roost. He is such a handsome dog and is proudly showing off his new half check - kindly donated by a DTCE member. Avis warned us that he can be quite aggresive with strangers, and will normally be very vocal towards them - he surprised us all by just looking at me and Will and didn't bark once!  

These are the horses (mother and son) that Avis has rescued. Both were really underweight when they came to her, but as you can see they look really healthy now.  When we were here last time they both lived over at the ARK centre, but now live with the 8 dogs in Avis' side of her property. Both horses are totally relaxed around the dogs, and they are all happy to live together. 

Today has been really busy, but we've had a great experience.  We were invited to spend the afternoon with an Indian family, and have a meal with them. They are one of the families that we see every day as we walk the dogs, and we always stop to have a little chat. The last thing we expected was to be invited into their house. 

We got all the dogs walked but left ARK earlier than normal so we could get back to the hotel, shower and change. No after walking cuddles today !

We were made to feel so welcome, and left their house not wanting to eat any more till at least breakfast tomorrow. (Obviously we have left enough room for a small beer, or two, this evening!). They have a 6 month old daughter (so we got a baby fix as well today), and a 9 year old daughter who was so pleased that we had visited and were still there - she was so excited. She was so polite and so pleased that wanted to look through all her art work, which, for a 9 year old, was very good. She has given us a lovely drawing of a monkey to bring home.   

They have a Doberman called Tommy who lives outside the house. They don't interact with him in the same way that we do with Millie and Charlie, he is a guard dog as opposed to a pet. We showed them photo's of Millie and Charlie, and of them with Tallulah, and also having cuddles with me - I think they were a bit shocked !

We left promising to visit next time we return to India.