Now, Kaya is the canine face of Chennai. A rescued Indian community dog, she has emerged first runner-up in PETA’s Cutest Indian Dog Alive contest, making the city and its dog lovers proud. The contest is aimed at encouraging people to adopt Indian dogs.
Bambi from Bangalore won the contest and Sheroo from Allahabad came third.
Along with the second-place certificate, Kaya will receive a ‘100% Desi Dog’ doggie T-shirt, and her guardian, Krithika Lakshminarayanan, a resident of Adyar, will receive an ‘I love Desi Dog’ T-shirt. Kaya will also get to appear in an upcoming issue of Animal Times , PETA India's magazine for members.
Following the announcement, there were celebrations at Krithika’s residence in Adyar.
“In June 2011, I found Kaya when she was hardly one month old, at a construction site in Anna Nagar. She was weak, fragile and her ribs poked through her skin. I immediately took her to a veterinary doctor and gave her something to eat. I thought I’d leave her back at the construction site but my family and I didn’t have the heart to do so,” she says.
It has been four years and she is the most pampered member of their family.
“Kaya is our first pet and she has taught us so many things. The experience has been incredible. She is extremely loving and she loves to play and likes attention. When bored, she likes chewing footwear.”
