CHENNAI: You've seen this dog be flung off a terrace multiple times - over the last two days. Bhadra is the dog in the viral video that has people all over the country outraged at the two medical students who committed the act.
But this five-month-old pup, despite a three storey fall - hardly seems to hold a grudge. She doesn't bare her teeth at strangers. She likes to be patted on the head and chin. And didn't seem to mind flashing cameras following her around when she arrived for treatment at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) on Wednesday morning.
Trying being that polite after you've had a 'spinal fracture!'
This reporter got to spend some time with the puppy as she was getting her cast tied on by veterinarians at the hospital, due to a second fracture in the right hind leg. The immense pain was evident from her shivering and whimpering, but Bhadra made little fuss.
Veterinarians at TANUVAS call her 'miracle dog' because she survived the fall and can still walk. "Usually a compression fracture in the spine would mean instant paralysis. But in this case, the fracture has not caused a break in the spinal column," says Dr R Jayaprakash, director, Directorate of Clinics at TANUVAS. He attributes this to a soft grass landing and also the young age of the dog. "As Bhadra is still a puppy, her bones are still growing and pliable," the doctor adds.
Currently staying with activist couple Jennifer Murali-Anand and her husband Murali, Bhadra seems to have taken a fondness to their three-year-old daughter. "They were playing together this morning before we drove over to the hospital," says Murali. The two will take turns monitoring Bhadra who has been put on two weeks 'bed rest.' "We've been told to restrict her movements by keeping her within a crate, so her bones heal faster," adds Jennifer.
And this might prove rather painful for the canine who cannot sit or lie down without assistance because of the fracture in her lumbar region.
While this 'survivor' has been praised time and again for not losing her spirit, the one thing she has lost for the moment possibly due to shock, is her bark. Hopefully, this should be back by Friday, which is when her next hospital visit is due.