Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park (IGMF) is not only a visually stunning space, but it also serves as a vibrant ecosystem enjoyed by a diverse array of inhabitants. Beyond the usual visitors such as humans, birds, and squirrels, the sombre adjoining National Military Memorial adds to the park's significance and charm. In recent years, a delightful group of canine companions has taken up residence in this park, and they are affectionately known as the Military Park Dogs. These community dogs (NOT stray dogs!) have become an integral part of the park's atmosphere, bringing joy and liveliness to all who visit. Some of those beautiful dogs have passed on . If you are curious to learn more about these lovable canines, you can follow their adventures on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook under the handle @cunninghamcaninesquad. Each dog has its own unique personality, and they are known for being friendly and energetic, embodying the spirit of joy that all dogs naturally possess. It is important to note that there are AWBI regulations in place concerning the relocation of dogs from their established territories, and this is a critical aspect of their existence in the park. While visitors may have questions regarding these animal welfare policies, whether they are individuals, school groups, or casual walkers, this information aims to provide clarity and reassurance about the presence of the dogs in the park. The Military Park Dogs not only enhance the park's cheer and ambience but also have a right to inhabit this space, and it is essential for everyone to understand and respect that right. The caretakers of these dogs are a devoted group of animal lovers from the local community, collectively known as the Cunningham Canine Squad. Their dedication ensures that the area dogs receive proper care and attention, and they actively encourage community involvement. Residents in the vicinity are invited to join their WhatsApp group, where they can stay informed and participate in initiatives that support the well-being of these dogs. Health and safety are paramount, especially considering the park's visitors, including children who often play and explore the area. To ensure the dogs remain healthy and free from diseases, the Cunningham Canine Squad ensures that they are fully vaccinated, neutered, and medically attended to. Each year, the dogs receive their anti-rabies (ARV) vaccinations, along with 7-in-1 booster injections that protect against multiple diseases. Additionally, the dogs are treated with flea and tick preventative medications such as Simparica or Bravecto, which effectively eliminate parasites like ticks, fleas, and worms. This level of medical attention is akin to that provided to beloved pets, reflecting the commitment of the caretakers to the dogs' health and well-being, AND human visitors. By taking these responsible measures, the Cunningham Canine Squad ensures that all park visitors can enjoy their time in the presence of these wonderful dogs, fostering a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. The Military Park Dogs have truly become a beloved part of Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park, enriching the experience for all who come to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of this special place, and occasionally spoiling it by a playful bark or chase!
For most part , they are happy and energetic playing around among themselves, but they always love to be petted or played with and loved - like most of us. Each one has their own unique personality and some of them can make you laugh for hours. So lets talk about some of them.
Let’s take Chintu aka Rock Hudson, the beautiful little boy with crooked, splayed-out Dracula teeth. This young fellow was abandoned at Chalukya Circle at the start of Covid - he has got CD or canine distemper (a serious, often fatal disease which affects the brain, causes problems with the nerves, and makes them completely uncoordinated). You can read his story here. Later, young Ananya Poddar, who already had a tripod Indie pet Miso and a retriever Corona, fell in love with him (and he with her) and promised to get him used to the area. We managed to get him to a shelter called CARE, and they ensured he recovered beautifully and even neutered him. After a few months, he came back towards the BWSSB Tank, Millers Rd side . I recall that day- while Ananya and others watched him get off the van, we held our breath- what would happen? While we worried about the BWSSB dogs bullying thisrecovering lonely small fellow, instead, he took all of them on, and how! They ran scared instead. He was to be adopted by a family, but unfortunately, that did not work out. We walked and walked him around so he felt comfortable in the area - and he had SUCH an optimistic nature! Always happy and smiling, ready to nuzzle or cuddle, and he could also hold his turf. But we kept worrying. The lovely Poddar family took good care of him on the lane, but one of the things we forgot was the high level of nutrition and soft food that CD-recovered dogs need. And his teeth started to splay out a little bit - that's just part of the CD fallout, we guess. Later, we learnt from a neighbor that he decided to visit Cunningham Road Cross where he would visit Sanjay every evening at 5 o’clock for high tea, and often with a friend. Quirky personality. A completely lovable boy, his haunt is between Cunningham Road, where he has been seen at Millers Rd near HDFC bank, where he now sleeps down at the generator, and then under the Battle Tank at the Military park morning and evening. He loves Sharmila, who adores him and feeds him every single day, and Amul brings food every morning for him and the others to the park. He’s has the softest fur, always clean, watering eyes - hes a a nutjob, doing zoomies, charming everyone, losing his collars, insisting on ear rubs, and getting taken to the groomers when Ananya is down from the USA. But everyone loves him. In between he got chased out of the park thanks to Papillon the Bully but is now sort of back in the park game. And we couldnt be happier.
Let’s talk about Speedy Gonzalez. Named by walker Lata Kamath's daughter, this rangy chestnut brown dog was another CD survivor (with the typical CD splayed out teeth) but very shy and always keeping a distance. We did discover later that he was suffering from nasal cancer too. And the kindest of people, Sharmila Shetty, God bless her soul, made sure we got the best of cancer medicines and food so he was able to recover. It was quite scary to see a huge lump on his face and imagine how he must’ve suffered. It recurred last year and got treated but now its all gone. Although he has the splayed out teeth of a CD survivor, he is just as hungry as anyone else and can wallop down a big meal. After The Butterflies took over the park, he moved from his gazebo at the children’s playground to the gate entrance and slowly, slowly towards the skywalk, out of the park. He seems to be more comfortable with Lady Trippy Shorttail since she’s shy, gentle, and always minds her own business. However, neither of them will allow a new person’s dog in this area and regularly chase off pets and streeties passing by . Speedy is a sweet fella that loves a little bit of food and kind words, but still timid, so will not always come close to you for petting.
Madame Butterflea. If you wondered at her name, it’s obviously a takeoff on the famous opera Madame Butterfly. However, since she’s a dog, we were mean and made it Madame ButterFLEA! She came in two years ago, perhaps in 2022. She was spotted outside the park. I didn’t notice her as such. But post-Diwali, I noticed her being scared with the other BWSSB office dogs and realized she must have been scared off by the heavy firecrackers. She followed me into the Military Park, constantly looking over her shoulder. At that time, there were no dogs left at all. All of them had sadly died over the years. Even Rock Hudson just visited, never really stayed, considering his hectic social calendar! This girl reminded me just a little of my beloved Buckette (read about the old guard and Buckette's List here). I gave her some food, and she walked around with me, staying close, and she was clearly scared. This happened for a couple of days. And slowly people stopped by to say hello - getting used to her. She was still shy and skittish, always looking over her shoulder. She started getting food. Since she was already spayed, we got Dr. Madhu to come in to give her our CD vaccination shots as well as the booster. Her favorite place is the Gazebo, near the water fountain. When it’s cooler, she loves sitting on the bleachers in the sun with the warm stone giving her some comfort. She has a sweet personality with her almost equine walk. But you should watch her suddenly stop to chase a squirrel with her tigerlike hunting movements and try to stalk the nimble athlete. She looks more like that predatory tiger than a friendly dog. She sometimes makes a sudden dash at people so newbies can get a bit surprised. Never harms a soul! She’s had her problems with a couple of injuries, but nothing major. She bounces back and always makes her friendly presence felt. Thanks to Mme Butterflea, we walkers have now have got used to having a dog in the park ,after ages.
And then one day soon after Papillon turned up. An amazingly good looking dog with this big black and white furry body, border collie face, wide smile and boot button eyes . We thought he was a pet dog that was lost and under all that fur, even first assumed he was female. But we did finally notice the notch in his ear, so he may have been abandoned at sometime. But strangely enough, although it took him a bit of a time in the beginning, he seemed to settle down like he was always there. He and Mme Butterflea became inseparable and because she was Butterfly, of course we had to call him the French name for butterfly that is, Papillon! But we do shorten it to Papi and many people just called him Bear. To watch both of these playing away, pretend fighting, rolling on the grass and generally having the time of their life is wonderful. Now that they are together, they are bolder much more independent and less fearful . In fact theyve chased out quite a few quiet ones like Greysie and Chestnut. More on those later. And slowly they became park royalty. King n Queen!
When Papillon was very ill and taken to CARE, Butterflea just wouldn’t eat and sat curled up in a corner. And when he did come back a month later, she refused to speak to him. We never figured that out. Now they are back to being firm fast inseparable friends ..
Evander Scrappy Doo One day last year, a 7 or 8 months old who looked like a combination of a pitbull and Indie with his broad chest and face, crept in, head low, in to the corner of the park. Of course the Parkies chased him away, so he stayed skulking only the outskirts. He had a bad skin issue , was painfully thin and had JUST been neutered. We managed to get a collar on him, and then we looked at his face with his cabbage ear and broad pit bull face. You look like a boxer so I said how about Evander Holyfield (remember the Tyson ear story?) but a week later someone else (I think it was Lata Kamath!) who said why not Scrappy Doo so Scrappy Doo it was. I still call him Evander often! Slowly in one corner or the other side he stayed, but keeping his distance. After giving him a strong medicine like Bravecto for his skin issues and his wounds , his true colors started to show as a glossy black and well muscled body- with those tiny pitbull eyes. But he was such a scared fellow. Papi and Butter have bullied him to pieces. So he would find places to hide ! God help him if I petted him in front of a jealous Papillon. I did that to him once in front of Papillon he would just charge at poor Scrappy who would scuttle off and hide! Slowly, he settled in on the fringes with the love of caretakers and walkers, and the fact that he just really wanted to mind his own business. Again, he’s had on ( and lost) more than six QR code collars , and we have no idea where they go. The last one was a bright yellow color And that disappears within a day too. Check what he has on now and tell us?
After all this fearful behavior and sometimes the fact that he just gets lost, it was great to see him gang up with Chintu and take on Buddy Boy while they pretend fight near the lawn. Also, when you can’t find Scrappy, do go look at the circle of creepers next to the fountain gazebo. He crawls in there and makes his safe happy home in the mini bower and then I can touch him as much as I want to because Papillon can’t reach him!
What will you say about Buddy Boy this gorgeous , laid back pure bred Dudley Labrador who turned up one day at the gate of Military Park/Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain . On 17 Jan 24, Mr. Chidambarnath was quite shocked to see this exhausted dog lying at the park gates who just would not move an inch and look so beat. Of course the food and rations came in, but he wouldn’t eat and we be let him be. We did realize by his manner that he had been at a home , that he was an abandoned pet, that he was probably under a a year old, but otherwise healthy. Buddy Boy went here and there , even to Lok ayukta Cubbon Park etc after he recovered as the Butterflies gave him a lot of grief. But he loved the pourakarmikas and would follow and hang out with them while they worked or they gathered for their midday meal. They made him feel safe just like Vivienne Leigh felt with them. And sometimes scared or watchful, he would walk or be with me. Slowly, he gained his strength and was able to stand his own against The Butterflies. He even started making friends. Initially Mr Chidambarnath wanted to name him Chestnut, . but since we already had a dog by the same name at Ali Asker Road, we had to find something else. Sharmila came up with Buddy and we thought Buddy Boy would be even better. We must’ve put about six collars on this point but we have no idea where he gets rid of them and how he loses them. He also keeps yanking out the other dogs' collars - and has even been spotted walking a very outraged Butterflea by her collar - hes such a clown. Buddy boy is the most friendly and very mild dog. He can eat 24 hours a day , and often rummages the rubbish bin with discarded plastic packets - and one day , horror of horrors he ate a babys nappy! Although he doesn’t jump up to you for cuddles he’s always happy to see people around and if someone rubs or scratches his tummy, he is really quite thrilled.
He has his own fan following and many people are astounded that a clearly pedigree dog like a Dudley Labrador with their trademark light eyes and pink nose could actually be abandoned. But that is a story of many dogs in Bangalore. If they would do this to a Buddy, one can imagine how the poor rescues or Indian dogs are treated. We really must make sure that this should not happen. Buddy happened to land on his feet with good caretakers, feeders, kind people like you and a safe space . When you look at how settled he looks now, remember he was once with somebody who threw him out - but I am sure that Karma will take care of them. And we know we will always take good care of him!
Lady Trippy Shorttail . She has a short tail and she’s kind of trippy (in the way she walks I mean). So the name stuck. She is a quiet little thing, always happy to be behind the skywalk operator’s home. She’s another one that has been driven out by the Bugging Butterflies, but is happier outside the park than within. She’s gentle, very sweet tempered but can bark as loud as anyone else to chase off anyone approaching her on the road. She loves hanging out on the Skywalk steps also and is a great buddy to the resident Dog of the skywalk supervisor and Speedy Gonzalez. She will never allow a collar or the slywalk people quietly remove it. She has occasional boisterous skimishes with the Butterflies and has great fun, but always ending her being bullied and chased off. She likes her biscuits and her snooze and has a little cousin called Lady Candy Shorttail at Balabrooie , who’s her twin but a bit older, and even more timid , despite her big government connections .
And Growly Doo? oh that boy! we could write pages about him, so watch this space !
What can I say about our Vivienne Leigh ? Our gentle girl passed away very recently , but for two years was a strong part of the Military Park dogscape, though more along the gate and the Skywalk. Would only stay with two of the kind pourakarmikas and follow them around while they worked in the park and even outside , following them right up to All india Radio corner and back. But she had a sad story. I saw her about 2 1/2 years ago, standing near the planetarium corner, desperately looking out, searching out into Chalukya Circle side . Her teats were full and hanging almost to the ground, so clearly she was a lactating mother and clearly. some cruel person had taken a her pups away from her and dumped them. I have seen her over six months or more just standing at that corner facing the circle ,eyes at the far horizon, going around and around that space looking for her poor pups. It broke my heart - she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t allow anyone near her. Luckily in that period someone managed to get her neutered as well so she was safe from more litters. So I was very grateful when after a few months, I saw she had moved towards the planetarium and Military Park where she was able to relate to the kind PKs and experience some kindness.. But she would never allow anyone to touch her - the fear in her eyes as you came close was really palpable . So they let her be. She loved her biscuits but got bullied by everyone. She would curled up next to her two favourite pourakarmikas as they cleaned, chatted or ate on the grass, a little distance away but safe and contect, although super alert. That was Vivienne - beautiful, scared and just learning to trust. Sadly, the only time I did touch her and stroke her beautiful head was when she died and before she was laid to rest in the garden next to the gazebo. Under a lemon tree. . I petted her for as much as I could because I knew I was making up for two years of forced distance . We all wept to lose this beautiful mother dog, but perhaps she’s in a happier place now. Perhaps a cardiac issue as her stomach had become very heavy, breathing heavily and she was getting tired fast. Presumably a heart enlargement , and ascitis. The vet was out of town so we took a day to get an alternative diagnosis . We got CUPA to come in finally, but 10 minutes before the CUPA Van reached ,and we were trying to catch her, she breathed her last. And I had tears welling and falling fast, as for the first and last time in my life, I touched that soft head and stroked her face, but this one was a goodbye.
Oh Vivienne...
So next time at the park , you know our unique doggy personalities who like to sleep in the bushes , chase the kites and squirrels over the green grass, sometimes get hurt or ill, always get some petting, good food and live a happy life.
Give them love too.
Meet the Cunningham Squad Team who care for the Fauji Dogs !
Shamila Shetty, Amulya, Priya Chetty Rajagopal, Aanchal Subbaiah, K Chidambarnath, Dr Madhu Poojary (their personal vet!), Rakesh Kumar. Alya, Jacob, Dr Veena Abraham, Capn Sujith, Latha Kamath, Adithi B, Harini Raghavan and so so many others ...And most important are the wonderful gardeners and pourakarmikas who watch and care for them indulgently, sometimes the home guards and walkers too..
Will put up pics of the low key guardians soon, so watch the space !
OurMagnificent Military Park Dogs -The Fauji Parkies.
(Cousins to the celebrated Cubbon Park Canines!)
Growly Doo - (Time Share between Cubbon& Cunningham Park Squad)
Some of our Park Alumni who have passed over the rainbow
They make us love laugh and cry, so we will tell you about them later. It still hurts a bit to talk about them. The last of them Godfather died painfully in end 2023. But there was Whitey Malu, her daughters Tawny Cappuccino, Sheba. There was my darlingest Buckette the queen of hearts , her sister Beastie Girl, their dad Jack, mother Rani. There were Buckette's pups aka the Buckette List. Then there was Xena pup. - oh my that feisty GIRL. There was Missy, Blindy, Toby.
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