{"id":1203,"date":"2017-08-16T13:24:36","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T07:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.buddylifemagazine.com\/\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2017-08-16T13:24:36","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T07:54:36","slug":"the-charmed-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buddylifemagazine.com\/the-charmed-life","title":{"rendered":"The Charmed Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

The four canine heroes of the 26\/11 terror attacks in Mumbai \u2013 Sultan, Max, Caesar and Tiger – are no more, but for animal activist Fizzah Shah, whose Virar farm was home to the sniffer dogs, work goes on as usual, says Supriya Bhonsle<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most beautiful experience of my life to have our brave soldiers on my farm. I am fortunate,\u201d says Fizzah Shah, the gutsy animal activist, whose Virar animal farm was home to four 26\/11 sniffer dogs before they passed away last year. Shah adopted the four – a first for bomb squad dogs – following months of meticulous paperwork and site visits by the Mumbai Police in June 2015. \u201cI had a lot of running around to do for adoption, but I\u2019m glad that the Mumbai Police was so thorough in their background check,\u201d she says. The hero dogs – Ceasar, Max, Tiger and Sultan – all aged between 11 and 12, had comfortably settled in at the farm before losing their respective battles to old age blues. \u201cThey played a key role in the terror attack operations in 2008,\u201d remembers Shah proudly, adding, \u201cThey were part of the dog squad that helped the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) detect RDX and other explosives and minimize casualties in the 2008 terror attacks that left more than 160 people dead and 300 injured.\u201d In fact, the four were part of each major investigation of bomb blasts since 2004. This included the 26\/11 terror attacks, the 2006 serial blasts as well as the blasts in Zaveri Bazaar. During 26\/11, Max recovered 8 kg of RDX on both sides of the Taj. \u201cBefore they were moved in here from their Goregaon and LT Marg kennels, we had freshly earthed their homes with a mesh to separate them from other rescued strays and abandoned pets,\u201d informs Shah. \u201cThey were given small cubicles of their own, a shed under which they could rest and a thatched shelter too.\u201d Meeting Shah you realise what must have prompted Mumbai Police to agree to her adoption request. She has the aura of a strong person, but soft at heart \u2013 someone who has always loved animals and whose objective in life is to take as many needy animals under her care as possible. Shah\u2019s farm in the bustling Virar area of the city homes an ensemble of birds and animals, all of them rescued from various tough life situations, but now living peaceful lives far from harm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are some 350 rescued animals at her farm, all of which are diligently cared for, including birds and marine life. \u201cI have so many abandoned dogs under my care and almost all of them have had traumatic lives. They can\u2019t speak, but they express their turmoil through their eyes and behaviour. They have to be comforted and given time to adjust to new surroundings. At my farm,\u00a0we\u00a0give them their freedom and love to heal their wounded spirits,\u201d she informs. Though she can\u2019t be at her farm all the time, she is in constant touch with her assistants to discuss with them about the various items needed for the upkeep or the upcoming activities to be organised at the farm. She makes sure all animals and birds are given prompt medical aid and she personally supervises and provides that loving touch to each of them with no discrimination. Every weekend she checks on them and treats her assistants at the farm as her extended family. \u201cThey are the ones who tend to the farm and the animals in my absence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To read more, subscribe to Buddy Life! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Animal activist Fizzah Shah, whose Virar farm was home to the 26\/11 terror attacks sniffer dogs, work goes on as usual<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Charmed Life -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buddylifemagazine.com\/the-charmed-life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Charmed Life -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Animal activist Fizzah Shah, whose Virar farm was home to the 26\/11 terror attacks sniffer dogs, work goes on as usual\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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