Thank you so very much to Rhonda, and thank you to The Secret team!

My story is quite old. It happened about four years ago. It is all about Sandy, my Labrador Retriever.

After working as a banker for six months, I decided to pursue happiness. So, I quit my job and joined an NGO. That is another story for The Secret that I plan to write and share very soon. It was one of the best decisions of my life—because I met Sandy!

Sandy arrived as an abandoned puppy of 2 or 3 months. He had deformed hind legs, most probably the result of excessive breeding by greedy breeders. Dues to ) due to his deformed hind legs, he had to drag himself to get around. But that did not bother him even a bit. He knew how to enjoy life. He loved to gorge on food. I doubt he ever had a relaxed meal, and he was always in a hurry to finish everything! He would pull himself to chase away visitors and volunteers if anyone came near me, and most importantly, he adopted me as his human!

Every day, I eagerly waited to reach the office, where dozens of four-legged friends would come to meet me. Far behind, I could see Sandy galloping, pulling, and dragging himself to greet me! He would snarl, bark, and growl at dogs and humans alike and make himself comfortable at my feet for the rest of the day.

A few months later, my marriage got fixed, which is another Secret story all in itself. I had to move back to my hometown. My soul was already feeding on Sandy’s insane love for me, so I simply could not leave him behind at the shelter. So, against all odds, I decided to adopt him and to bring him to my home.

I have to leave earlier because airlines do not confirm far ahead if a pet can be transported on a specific date. Sandy was to follow us after a few days. I asked and prayed for Sandy to reach my place safely. Everything else happened miraculously.

1. There was not a single issue in adopting him. Everybody at the shelter went overboard to help me.

2. I practically had no money to buy his IATA crate. That is the carrier required by airlines in transporting pets. One of the animal lovers agreed to donate her dog crate to me. I never met her and never knew about her. Another member of our shelter agreed to send the crate over to our shelter in her car. It is a huge crate that does not fit in most cars.

3. Toys and chews to help him relax and play while in transit were gifted to me by another member.

4. The airline I first decided to send him with, at the last moment, canceled the plan, saying they could not do it since it was a stop-over flight! I was devastated, but something kept me going. I called another airline. It was the last option; I come from a small town in India, and as such, not many flights operate here. Guess what? The cargo manager not only agreed to feed him treats and give him water, but he also knew my mother and provided us with all possible help.

5. My colleague took him to the airport and also paid the excess amount that was needed. I gave him the money, but the actual amount turned out to be double what I thought it was! Even my shelter chipped in to share the bill.

6. In spite of doing everything correctly, Sandy still could not board the flight on three occasions because of hazardous chemicals and human remains! I was again hitting rock bottom when another trustee of our shelter took up the charge. She and her husband arranged, planned, and saw to it that Sandy boarded the flight. She called me to give the wonderful news that the next day, I was to receive my crazy pet at the airport!

I am so very grateful to everyone who helped me in this mission, even without knowing me. After my wedding, I was to leave for Singapore. As such, my family, especially my Ma, had to devote time to Sandy. My Ma is a working woman, and we have another four-legged son, Sancho. We also have 4 cats and a few birds who come regularly for food, and she willingly took up the role of being Sandy’s Maa. My Sis and father took to spoiling him and fulfilling all his wishes.

On April 3rd, merely after six months, Sandy passed away due to gastroenteritis. It is true Sandy did not live to ripe old age, but it does not mean that everything we did went in vain because he died as our beloved pet and not as an abandoned animal in the shelter! His resting place is now at the bank of the mighty Brahmaputra, where the river sings a lullaby, and the rising sun bathes him in the colors of love!

I miss you and love you so very much, Sandy!