Story: Suraj was found in a very poor state—hungry, tired, most of his fur gone, but he always wanted affection.  The DAR staff named him Suraj, meaning “sun” in Hindi due to the bright yellow color of his eyes, which was also a hinted of his mischievous nature. To read his full story you can read his blog here.

Personality: Suraj, with his new celebrity status (you can follow him on Instagram with his other 13,500 followers), has become a bit of a diva. He sometimes refuses to turn his head towards the camera, or takes off in a huff if he is not getting what he wants. However, he still loves kisses on his forehead, lots of cuddles, and belly rubs. By sponsoring Suraj, you are helping him do his job, getting homes and donations for his stray friends.

Story: Shakira was originally rescued by DAR in April of 2016. It was clear she had a broken leg and was very scared of humans. She stayed with us until she recovered…and a bit longer. She eventually let her favorite people pet her and groom her, but she was still quite frightened. We decided it was best to put her back where she came from…25 kilometers away. Almost 2 years later, we got a call about an injured dog close to DAR. It was her… somehow, she had found her way back to us and she was a mess: skinny, feet swollen and red, and mange. We then knew that even though she was still shy and scared that she thought of DAR as her home.

Personality: She is still shy, but much better than before. Within just a few days, she will let an unknown woman pet her. The men still have to work on it. However, she has been know to flirt from afar…rolling over on her back, showing her belly, and wagging her tail,,,so we have hope!

Story: Life has been rescued by us a number of times because his skin problem cannot withstand the rough conditions of the street. He leaves our shelter healed, but returns a few months later sore and scabby again, so we have decided to keep him has a permanent resident so that his hairless body is cared for.

Personality: The stud muffin who ended up developing a complex because he lost all his hair. Life is a big, strong dog who likes to keep the pack under control. His bark is deep and demands authority. But he’s calmed down a little since losing his fur and crown jewels, taking a step back and realising there’s more to life than good looks and power. He still has a very soft spot for the ladies and loves a good cuddle.

Story: Johnny was most likely a pet that became unwanted when he developed arthritis, and was dumped on the streets. DAR found him and brought him back to good health, and decided he will stay with us for the long haul.

Personality: The stubborn old man with a Harley-Davidson in his garage. He had a youthful life, one with great risks taken and many adventures lived. He is getting older now, but he doesn’t seem to notice and just does not want to give up! He runs as fast as he can, though he is the slowest of the lot. He barks at everyone and everything because he has earned this right over the many years of experiencing life. He is a funny old man, with a slightly lopsided face.

Her Story: At the age of 2 months, Shamboo was rescued after he was hit by a car. We presume he was hit in the head causing trauma. The head injury has left him with a slight vision problem and his head twitches if you look closely.

Personality:  Shamboo is a very intelligent and active puppy. Don’t think his slight defects have slowed him down. He likes to go on walks, and has learned all of the basic commands, such as sit, stay etc. . Shamboo plays with all of the other puppies and loves to take naps!

Story: Scottie came to us as a little puppy who had been hit by car, rendering both his back legs useless. One leg required an amputation, and the other leg had a large wound that healed in a way that stopped him from ever learning to use the leg. And so, Scottie became our token permanent resident with two legs.

Personality: Paralympic bronze medalist, because the only thing keeping him from gold is his easily distracted mind when anyone new passes the shelter. Being the go-getter that he is, Scottie has trained hard and now has an upper body bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. He plays rough with all the other young ones, and when he’s tired he snuggles up for a good cuddle. He has an unbreakable spirit and soft heart and an adorable face to match.

Her Story: She was found on the streets as a puppy, with a small wound and handed to our Founder, Deb Jarrett, at a dinner party. Personality: Silent Seductress Shashi loves to chase cows, and more often than not, bite them. This is not good and hence Shashi has undergone intensive training to distract her from these roaming cows. Shashi is one hot tough nut to crack, but now she is very obedient and will do anything for a treat, including not chase cows.

Her Story: Asha met with an accident, and was found as a puppy with a broken leg. She had to have a metal rod inserted in order to mend the leg, which was a great success.

Personality: Active gym member She is ferociously full of life and physically fit! She is a disciplined young woman who loves her mud baths when we go dog hiking. She is an independent, dedicated member of the pack who completes her tasks everyday, and she loves digging up bones whenever she can get her paws on one.

Story: Cookie, along with his sister, was found on the streets as a puppy. They were weak and malnourished, just like many street dogs. Sadly, Cookie’s sister did not survive, however, Cookie is a fighter and did survive the accident, but had to have his front leg amputated.

Personality: Pack Professor Cookie is the leader of the DAR gang. He teaches the newcomers the ropes on how to act at the shelter and teaches them how to do certain things. He takes care of his great following very well and imparts all the knowledge he has. “Look, you’re in my territory. Do as I say, and I will take care of you.”

Story: Pirate was found on the road by two members of DAR. He has goop coming out of his eyes, along with uclers. We then noticed that his nose, gums, and paws were also ulcerated. Poor puppy. It has been determined that he has an auto-immune disease.

Personality: Considering how much pain Pirate must be in, he is the so friendly and gentle. He loves coming to join our morning meetings to get some extra love while we are planning our day. We hope his treatments make him feel better soon!

Story: Coconut came to DAR after being struck by a car. She was too scrawny and weak to perform the needed hind leg amputation when she arrived. Unfortunately, infection set in and we had to amputate it immediately. She had a long recovery but is now is a fit and healthy girl.

Personality: Raring to go… on three legs. Coconut is a NUT! After her rough start you would never imagine that she was the one growling and howling at the gate everyday to be the first one let out for her daily hike. She loves hiking and playing with the other dogs, and getting dirty. She does not seem too concerned about keeping her white coat clean, as long as she is having fun.

Story: Mutki and her sisters were dumped near our clinic when they were just 3 weeks old! They lacked maternal milk and were so weak, only 3 of them survived.

Personality: Mutki is so sweet! She loves humans and wants a forever home so badly. In the mean time, she also loves running around with her best friend Abu.

Story: Whitey came to DAR after a hit and run accident which dislocated her hip. Luckily, this healed quickly but we then discovered she was also blind. Since there is no MRI in Dharamsala, we are treating her as best we can, but there is no improvement with her vision.

Personality: She is only around 3 or 4 years old and is very mellow. She likes to sleep a lot and is very trusting of dogs and humans…which is very surprising considering her condition. No one will adopt her in India so we are hoping to find someone in Canada or the USA to take her in. We do not have the best facility for a blind dog.

Story: Beauty was dumped near our clinic with her siblings when they were just 3 weeks old! They lacked maternal milk and were weak so not all of them survived. Beauty has only ever lived at DAR so we cannot put her on the streets and it is very difficult to find the desi (local) breed dogs homes..especially if they are female.

Personality: Beautiful inside and out. Beauty puts on no airs with her looks…she is friends with all and loves playing with her mates Mutki and Abu.