The only animal victim of the 26/11 terror attack is still in Parel animal hospital, but is now peaceful and happy. The stray dog that was seriously injured in the attack at CST has made the hospital its home for the past five years and is said to be living happily in an open enclosure on the premises.

“Sheru is our VIP guest,” said SB Kadam, assistant secretary of Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Parel, and added that the dog is kept in a separate 20x20 feet enclosure with a 10x10 feet toilet inside. Sheru mingles with all the hospital staff, Kadam said.

Dog lovers, who visit the hospital, never go without meeting Sheru, who survived after sustaining bullet injuries. He is healthy and now over 10 years old.

Recalling Sheru’s arrival on November 26, 2008, Kadam said, “Then five years old, he was bleeding profusely and was in tremendous shock. An x-ray showed a bullet of AK-47 had gone through his left shoulder blade and come out from the other side. After an hour-long operation, he was kept under observation in the ICU for six months before being shifted to the enclosure.”The hospital staff named him Sheru, because he fought death.

Shripad Naik, a photojournalist, had gone to CST on November 26, 2008 to cover the attack. During his visit, some railway staffers told him that a stray dog had been seriously injured and was lying near the station. Naik, with the help of two other people, took it to Parel animal hospital.

“Whenever Naik visits Sheru, the dog immediately starts wagging its tail in recognition,” said Kadam.