Vaishali Gadgil and her 4+10=14 dogs

Entrepreneur Vaishali Gadgil tells us how she manages the variety of temperaments in her dogs – four at home and 10 on the farm!

The family: The oldest member of the family doesn’t like the young ones creating a ruckus when he is around. So, often, Toffee, the retired old boy growls at the boisterous kids – Bingo the beagle, Chanda and Masti the mixed breed duo. Bingo came to Gadgil’s home as an adult dog – he had already gone through a few homes, been tied for hours and lacked attention. He carried a lot of “attitude” with him and his stubbornness that is typical of his breed. “Bingo does all the wrong things. He has separation anxiety, insists on a lot of attention and likes to do things his way,” says Vaishali of her beagle boy. Toffee is kind of aloof. “When he wants attention, he nudges me to get pet and then goes away when he has had enough,” she smiles of the biggest baby.

gadgil3Chanda is the tiny, shy light-eyed girl who will do anything to go for a walk. “She loves to talk a lot. And when she wants to go out, she uses every trick in the book from rolling on the floor in front of me to giving me pleading looks. Her best friend is Masti who we also call `Me Too’ because he is a copy cat,” she adds. Realising he is the topic of conversation the pitch black tail wagging adolescent copies Bingo jumping on mom for attention.

The food: Bingo doesn’t like milk. Chanda doesn’t like rice. So we have a set routine of bhakri, some vegetables and chicken. It’s a good protein carb combination. And though they say we shouldn’t, I give my dogs milk.

goadgil2The farm: Gadgil has 10 dogs – Caravan and Saluki and a dalmation – on the farm. Each with their own personality. Jay, Veeru, Basanti, Rani, Mangesh, Mahesh, Karan, Arjun, Champa and Chameli who love to run all over and chase cats! And their hunting instincts see them chase away everything from porcupines to birds. “When we visit the farm we have to give all equal attention. They are jealous of each other and often get into scuffles vying for our attention,” shares Vaishali. So she divides her time with them, takes them for walks on a leash and never lets the jealous ones see the others getting her attention. They get fresh milk, vegetables, rice and meat to meet the amount of energy they burn running all over the farm.

Uma Karve Chakranarayan