My Friend Lost His Close Brothers To Canine Distemper

Early this year, I traveled to Samtse. It was just another unplanned trip that took me to the southern foothills. I had no specific reason for going, other than to meet my friends who had been expecting me for some years. As I write this, I already miss them.

It was my second time visiting Samtse, so I anticipated some confusion. To avoid this, I informed Deepen Raj Ghalley—whom I call by his first name only—to meet me at the bus stand, as another friend was busy teaching. Instead of picking me up, he asked if I would be comfortable going home with his mother, who works as a senior nurse at Samtse Hospital, since he had to stay with his two brothers. Two brothers? I thought to myself, surprised, but I didn't ask further. I told him I would be happy to, as his mother treats me like one of her sons. However, when I inquired at the ticket counters, the only available bus was the afternoon one. I didn’t want to wait that long, so I booked a seat on the Tendu bus, hoping to find a car once I reached Samtse town and catch a ride to Chengmari from there, avoiding the need to wait for his mother.

I must have been fortunate to get a seat on the Tendu bus, which meant I could get off somewhere along the way. However, the bus was old and worn out, and I had to adjust for at least three hours.

Deepen with Jomboo (left) and Jimba 

Deepen was waiting for me on the road. He knew exactly when the bus would arrive. After a brief two-minute walk, he led me to a newly built house off the road. Once inside, I quickly realized that his "two brothers" were Jomboo and Jimba—two little puppies, three months old, brought from Punakha. Judging by the kennel and the food, it was clear that they were treated no less than brothers by Deepen and his family.

I felt a bit awkward seeing Deepen dedicating most of his time to nurturing the puppies. Of course, he understood what was going through my mind. It’s not that I don’t love animals—I do. In fact, I have a story from when I was in second grade about how I cried after a little puppy suddenly died without showing any signs of illness. A few years later, I lost another puppy and went searching for it from village to village, but in vain. Only I know the pain I went through. It was then that I decided not to develop close attachments to animals, as I couldn’t handle the emotions.

But I also knew how much Deepen loved them. He slept with them, cleaned up after them, and played with them whenever he was bored. They meant everything to him. I’ve known Deepen since college, and everyone knew how lazy he used to be. I was surprised to see him wake up early at six o'clock to cook for his brothers. I was happy to see that he had picked up some good habits. If anyone deserved thanks for this, it was those two little puppies.

In addition to taking care of them, Deepen had started growing mushrooms on a small scale, with plans to expand the business if things went well.

Recently, Deepen shared me, in grief, that he had lost his two little brothers to Canine Distemper. The entire family was mourning their loss. I knew how much they loved the puppies, and even I was disturbed by the news. I tried to console him, but he was upset by the fact that many dogs were still succumbing to the infection and no one seemed to be taking the matter seriously. Something must be done to save the lives of these innocent animals. Too many dogs, regardless of age or health, have lost their lives.

At the moment, all he can do is watch helplessly as the dogs die

"I'm totally devastated, man," read Deepen’s WhatsApp message last night. It has been almost seven days since he lost his dear brothers, yet he still hasn't returned to normal.

I pray for their rebirth into a heavenly realm.

Deepen adopted two other stray dogs but already lost one to the disease. Blacky, in the picture, will be the fourth dog to die from the Canine Distemper. Can't imagine stray dogs situations!