San Jose International Animal Advocates: Rani & Begum's Next Level Rescue

By Aubrey Bowen, SJAA Volunteer
Rani and Begum’s story began on the overcrowded streets of Delhi, India. Born as strays, these sisters spent the first year of their lives begging for food and dodging the dangers of the city. In India, street dogs are everywhere. They are called Pariah dogs. They’re often treated poorly – children throw rocks at them, firecrackers are tied to their tails, and they are far too often hit by cars. They fight to steal food from the incredible number of people living in Delhi. It’s a very difficult life.

Rani & Begum's kennels being loaded onto the plane

Rani & Begum on the streets of Delhi

In February of 2014, Rani and Begum’s lives changed forever thanks to Manish and Matrayi of San Jose, California. Manish and Matrayi’s parents live in India. They visit their families in Delhi and feed the local strays in their neighborhood. Upon learning of the sister dogs struggling to survive on the streets near their parents’ home, they decided to act. Manish and Matrayi accomplished something incredible: they flew Rani and Begum back home to San Jose and committed to fostering the two until they become ready for adoption.

As you might imagine, transporting dogs from India to California is not a simple task. Manish and Matrayi worked closely with a local veterinarian to get Rani and Begum vaccinated and prepare their paperwork for international travel. Between Manish’s last visit to India in November and their flight to California in February, Rani and Begum stayed safely in a Delhi boarding facility. Manish did his homework very carefully on which airline to trust when it came time to book the girls’ flights; he purchased a seat on the same Lufthansa flight as Rani & Begum. Lufthansa and KLM are both very reliable when it comes to transporting animals. Both airlines have pet lounges and make sure to give the dogs food/water/potty breaks if they are on the ground for over three hours at a time. As if this wasn’t enough, Manish managed to bring three additional street puppies back with him on the same flight for a rescue group in San Francisco. Rani & Begum’s mother is still living on the streets in Delhi; she has been pregnant each time Manish and Matrayi have seen her. It’s a very disheartening battle, but the climate for animal welfare in India is changing one dog at a time thanks to folks like Manish and Matrayi.

Begum on the streets of India

Rani on the streets of India

Rani & Begum being walked at the Delhi boarding facility

Rani & Begum's mom with another stray pup

Arriving in California

The names Begum and Rani both mean “queen”. Manish and Matrayi thought the girls deserved to be given names that conveyed respect and value. All of a sudden, Begum and Rani found themselves living comfortable lives, being treated with respect, receiving affection, and enjoying the comforts of American house dogs.

Rani and Begum’s transition wasn’t easy. The girls struggled to trust people, to understand the safety of their backyard, and to get used to new neighborhood noises like garbage trucks. Manish and Matrayi have been working with the girls extensively and they’ve also sent them through professional training. Both girls are licensed in San Jose, have clean bills of health and all their vaccinations, and will be spayed by the end of this month.

Living the good life!

Rani

Begum

These girls are full of personality! Manish and Matrayi say they’re typical nutty pups who love having fun and playing outside. Their favorite hobbies are running, shredding stuffed toys, enjoying doggy ice cream on hot days, and dreaming in the sunshine. Begum is quiet, shy and extremely gentle. Her foster parents say she’s the more independent and watchful of the pair. Begum is a snuggle bug – she loves cuddling and belly rubs!  Rani is bold, funny, brave, and charming. They say Rani loves to sit alongside her people and relax just as much as she loves chasing squirrels. Bonus: Rani sings!

Now 1.5 years old, well-socialized, thoroughly trained, and healthy, Rani and Begum are ready to move forward on their journey toward “furever”. You're probably wondering how Manish and Matrayi can say goodbye to Rani and Begum after all this time. Allowing the girls to move on allows Manish and Matrayi to continue rescuing dogs from India (and locally). Their next goal is to save Rani and Begum's mom, bring her to California, get her healthy and finally spayed so she can live a life beyond breeding. With the big picture in mind, Manish and Matrayi will be able to let their girls go. Understandably, Rani and Begum are very much attached to each other given all they’ve been through together. Manish and Matrayi would like to see them adopted together, but going to separate homes is not entirely out of the question. The only thing that matters is that they both find a very special home where they will be loved, cherished, and forever treated as "queens". Rani and Begum's story is just too incredible not to share – if you’d like to set up a meet & greet with the girls, please contact their foster parents via the contact information listed below:

matrayi@gmail.com AND/OR joneja@gmail.com

206-407-9927 OR 408-921-8704

The girls are also on YouTube! Check out their beautiful video: