Her little angel
IN 2011, thirtysomething artist N. Sarla Devi rescued her pet, then two months old, from a breeder in 2011. The Jack Russell Terrier was named Bairavan (Bairou, for short), after the Hindu deity Lord Bhairav. This breed is known for its hunting ability.
Sarla has put her creativity to good use by making or re-designing outfits and accessories for Bairou. Whenever he steps out of the house, he is guaranteed to look stylish.
Bairou is treated like part of the family, so sometimes Sarla brings him along whenever she attends birthday parties, relatives’ Diwali open houses and dog events.
She makes it a point to celebrate his birthday each year by hosting a small-scale party for him at their home in Klang. He turned three just recently — on Feb 2, to be exact. His cake featured a piece of decoration resembling his image.
“When I travel abroad, I make sure I have a Skype call session with him often.
“He is hyperactive, energetic, intelligent and tenacious,” describes Sarla, adding that Bairou is an excellent companion. “He does get cranky at times but nothing I can’t handle.”
As Bairou is her “furkid”, sometimes Sarla treats him just like a child. “If he refuses to eat, at times, I feed him. When he falls asleep on the couch, I would carry him to his (cosy) bed and pat him until he snoozes again.
“When I come home from shopping, he expects me to pull out a toy or something out of the shopping bag. Whenever there are guests at home, he tends to show off, especially his toys.”
Sarla is a true animal lover who feels strongly about pet rescue and adoption (as opposed to buying from a pet store). In 2012, she started an online campaign to spread awareness about animal welfare — focusing on pet adoption — to educate the community and to inspire action aimed at reducing animal abuse.
And who better to send the message home than Bairou himself. Together with a Greek male model, Bairou is the face on some of the campaign posters (http://ourworldladevin.blogspot.com/). He also has his own Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BAIROUjackrussell).
Although he is quite a dog star, Bairou had no problems adjusting to a new sixmonth-old puppy, named Tingku Kanna, which Sarla rescued from the streets last November.