Sheroo almost didn’t make it on 26/11. The stray who had always called CST his home, was badly injured the night Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail came calling there. “It is a miracle of sorts that the dog survived even after the serious injury. A bullet had gone through under his shoulder blade and come out from the other side,’’ said the secretary of Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), Colonel J C Khanna. It was the BSPCA staff who named the canine “Sheroo” (lion), impressed by his steely will to survive that helped him pull through. The stray has in fact now made himself at home in Parel, and does not show any signs of missing CST. Several dog lovers come to visit him, eager to meet the “survivor” and many leave behind contributions for his upkeep, but the BSPCA has decided to take care of him for life. Sheroo does get a little anxious in the company of strangers or on hearing a loud noise. However, the 11-yearold has not forgotten his saviour. Shripad Naik, 29, a photojournalist, had rushed to CST on 26/11 with his camera on learning of the terror attacks. “Some of the railway staff told me a stray dog was injured in the firing and was lying in the parcel room on the ground floor. I went close to the bleeding stray and saw he looked stunned but did not get aggressive as I touched him,’’ recalled Naik. He gently picked up the dog with the help of two other persons and took him to the animal hospital in Parel in an ambulance. When Naik approached Sheroo at the hospital on Tuesday, the grateful dog immediately started wagging his tail in recognition. “I am visiting Sheroo after nearly five months, but he still recognises me from a distance. I am very happy he is hale and hearty,’’ said Naik.
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