Cassey our Mutt was born to be FREE. Mount Abu

Cassey, born to be free met her fate on 28 April 2017. At 4 a.m., the leopard took her away. She had littered on the hillside beneath a boulder on 30 March 2017. She gave birth to 3 males and 2 females.
Cassey’s fate to be with us was pure karma. At the end of July 2015, Abu received its recorded history of rainfall of 40 inches in 48 hours. She was just a pup a little over a month old that landed up at our doorstep with gushing water from the flooded area in front of our house. We were never going to retain another dog, especially after losing our Great Dane Buddy whom we had rehoused at St. Mary’s School. But fate decided that she would become part of the family and our daughter christened her Cassey. She was a little wild thing and until the day she was taken away, she lived as an animal born to be free.

Her eyes reflected her passion for living and her petite, adorable, sleek body was always on the go. Throughout the day she would dash up and down the hillside just wanting to catch a squirrel, rat or her favourite prey, the notorious mongoose. The call of the “did–you –do it”. (Red-wattled lapwing) would be her clarion call of the hunt for the Willy mongoose. She was an extremely fast dog and had the stamina of a horse.
I have had dogs in our house for as long as I can recall, but none like her. She was one creature who never bothered with food.  Even the small portions of food we served her were never completely eaten, and she would scurry off to bury any tidbit I gave her for emergency stock. Cassey was an amiable dog who loved to play with the kids and made friends with the other mongrels that passed our way. Many nights she would disappear, only to return in the wee hours before dawn. I always felt she had made a pact with the leopard because of her late-night romping and coming home safe and sound. Once she was on the move, she never heeded our commands or our whistling. To an outsider, it would seem she was an extremely disobedient mutt.
It seemed she attacked the leopard. Her animal instinct seemed to override her own safety as she attacked the leopard. I’m posting some snaps taken over a period in memory of this lovely little creature that had won our hearts with her unique lifestyle.

Getting used to her newfound home

Playing in the garden August 2015

 Cassey at six months. She loved to play, be it a ball or a stick. You name it she was always game.

One-year-old, a real handsome mutt on the lookout for the mongoose.

 The mongoose always gave Cassey the slip. 

Her powerful sense of smell took her to the hideouts of the mongoose.

The mongoose, with its speed and agility, always made it to its hideout.

She had mastered the steep granite slopes like the goats of our area.

Basking in the winter sun

 

She kept herself occupied by enticing other mutts to have a game with her.

Her curiosity and pottering around the garden once caused her to be bitten by the Daman. She developed a fever and looked really shaken. It looked like she was going to lose the use of her back legs while walking she began tottering. For about a day and a half, she never came out of her room. I had phoned the vet, but he told me there was not anything to get hassled she would come around. Sure enough, on day three, she was up and about. Her instincts were now finely tuned. She would burst out in a frenzy whenever she smelled the snake and forewarned us of its presence.
I remember once when a huge monitor lizard had made its way into the garden and Cassey went nuts trying to figure out what this creature was.

Returning home with her booze bottle.

Cassey getting ready to uncork her bottle.

 Ready for her first winter swig. December is cold in Abu.

Our pretty mutt in her winter attire!

Ready to have her cake and goodies on Christmas Day. She loved her Indian sweets, cookies, and biscuits. “All that is a big no for doggies” I don’t think it's taboo, let them eat everything in moderation.

It's gonna be sunset soon time I headed down for my dinner or else my mistress will boot my rump.

 What are those creatures down there? I’ve seen them around since I’ve made a home here, but what are they? Her fascination and curiosity for these four-hooved critters were a sight to behold. She wanted to befriend them, but their strange behaviour and grunting sounds kept her at bay.

These semi-wild pigs were a constant source of amusement and fascination for Cassey.