EVERY morning a house in Gurgaon’s Greenwood City throws open its gates to animals in pain. Villagers queue up with dogs, donkeys, monkeys and even peacocks outside Jean and Bob Harrison’s home. If the couple is not at home, the villagers wait for them till night. Such is their trust in what they call the English kutta ghar.
‘‘They think we can do miracles to save their animals,’’ says Bob. His and his wife share their home with Lucy, Benji, Ratty and Raggi—all rescued dogs. Outside the bungalow are the other members of the family. Scram, Scoot, Old Boy and Moti.
The morning routine is familiar to all of them now. Jean and Bob prepare breakfast for them. Brown bread, meat, eggs and some fresh milk.
In their early 60s now, Jean and Bob met each other on a blind date in Harwich in England. It was a three year posting at the visa section of the British High Commission in New Delhi that brought them to India. Jean’s love for donkeys and horses started from the time she lived in a country house, 100 km east of London.
‘‘Donkeys are a neglected lot in India. With legs tied, they often die a painful death on the streets,’’ says Jean. The couple’s old Fiat doubles up as an ambulance. Armed with a medical kit, they drive around Gurgaon looking for donkeys in need of help. From untying their ropes to cleaning the wounds on their legs, they do their best to heal the animals.
Says Bob: ‘‘We often stop donkeys that are carrying too much load at brick kilns and warn their owners. Sometimes the owners start unloading them the moment they see us.’’ The couple also set free parakeets being sold on the streets and stops overcrowded buffalo trucks. ‘‘We don’t have official powers to do it but somebody’s got to do it. We have risked our lives trying to save these poor animals,’’ says Bob.
The money bit is a slight problem though. They usually end up spending from their savings for each of the pickups they make as the shelters they leave the animals in want donations while accepting injured animals.
But for them the spending is worth it. ‘At the end of the day if we are not able to save an animal we both feel terribly sorry,’’ says Jean. ‘‘Someday we may want a basic mobile clinic with a veterinarian,’’ says Bob as the day comes to an end. As they light up candles in the room, there’s a silhouette of hope for animals in distress.