Rahul Gandhi is a pet parent once again. Having been a dog lover, the senior Congress leader formally adopted two puppies from a family in Goa. Both are a special British breed called Jack Russell Terriers, known to be energetic, intelligent, with a sharp sense of sight and smell, and have a long life.
Gandhi visited the house of dog breeder Stanley Braganza and his advocate wife Sharvani Pitre on Thursday after having heard about the breed of dogs at their kennel.
Speaking exclusively to News18, Braganza said that the leader spent a total of 20 minutes at their home and interacted with the other dogs before finalising on the two pups.
“Out of the 20 minutes, he spent 15 minutes playing with the pups. He is a very down-to-earth person. He was more interested in playing with the puppies than speaking to us… He is a lovely man who had no airs about him at all,” said Braganza with a laugh.
Explaining how Gandhi landed at their residence in Mapusa, Goa, Braganza said that the Congress leader’s office made a few calls in advance seeking details of the breeds they have and specifically checked if they had Jack Russell Terriers.
Braganza pointed out that they were impressed by the way Gandhi visited their home, without any security, but as a genuine dog lover who wanted to find a best friend.
“We were elated when the call came through that Rahul Gandhi was looking especially for this particular breed from us. It is said that he had two dogs of the same breed earlier, but one passed away. He was looking for Jack Russell Terriers specifically. We sent pictures of the puppies to his office, and soon after, the two four-month-old pups, one male and one female, were finalised,” he said.
Gandhi returned to Delhi with one of the pups, as a passenger is allowed just one pet on flights.
“We will be sending the second pup in a couple of days. Rahul Gandhi’s office is coordinating with us,” added the thrilled dog breeder who has around 12 to 13 exotic breeds at his kennel in north Goa.
Explaining how special this breed is, Braganza said that the parents of the puppies have been imported, and they were the ones who introduced this breed in India.
“We have the best breed in the country, and Rahul Gandhi was told about us by a friend. We have sold these breeds to celebrities and businessmen as well. That’s how he got to know, I guess,” he said.
Recently, a Jack Russell Terrier called Patron, which played an important role in the Russia-Ukraine war, was presented with a medal of honour by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his commendable assistance in sniffing out over 200 explosive devices and munitions near Kyiv.
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