• 6 October 2016
• From the sectionIndia

Image captionNot all stray dogs in Delhi epitomise the bad press they frequently receive

Dog days are certainly not over in the Indian capital Delhi, which conservative estimates say is home to around 400,000 stray dogs.

They don’t always get a very good press, though, and are often portrayed as either villains who bite and maul, or victims of human cruelty.

But a large dog population lives happily in the city, often developing close relationships with humans. Some develop quirky habits such as specific diets, others roam open markets where they put on extraordinary amounts of weight and sleep their days away.

These are some of their stories.

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Blackie

Image captionDo not be fooled by Blackie’s easy going demeanour

Blackie may look like an easygoing, happy doggie, but she is quite a demanding canine with specific tastes.

“She likes to eat home-cooked food – usually chapati (Indian flat bread) in the morning and prefers momos (steamed dumplings) in the evening. She gets upset if there is any change in this routine,” says Rajrani, who works as a cleaner in Delhi’s famous Janpath market.

“I like feeding her. She is like my family and I get upset if I don’t see her even for a day,” she says.

Deepak GC, who sells momos at the same market, confirms that Blackie is an exacting eater.

“Whenever Blackie comes to my stall, she makes me happy. She gives me that much needed break from my job when I feed her momos. She really loves chicken momos and won’t have anything else. And if I am even slightly late to feed her, I have to be ready to face her tantrums,” he says.

But for all her adorable quirks, Blackie has a sad past.

“When we found her, she was in bad shape. She had given birth to a litter of puppies but some crazy men had killed them. I took care of her and helped her come out of her trauma. Since then, she has become my best friend,” says Rajrani.

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Kanjari and Kalu

Image captionKanjari (brown) is more affectionate than the obedient Kalu

Kanjari (who is brown) and Kalu (who is black), aged five and six years respectively, live in Connaught Place, Delhi’s premium shopping district.

They were named and are looked after by Sudha Kumari, a cleaner in the area, who found them when they were still puppies.

Ms Kumari laughingly describes Kanjari as a little bit of a diva. “She gets upset if I get even a little late to feed her and then refuses to eat. But that’s because she still thinks she is a puppy,” she says.

Image captionKanjari gets upset whenever Sudha is late to feed her and refuses to eat

Kalu on the other hand, is a more sedate dog.

“He follows instructions well, but is not as affectionate as Kanjari,” says Ms Kumari.

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Sonu

Image captionSonu unfortunately can’t control himself around biscuits

Sonu is a five-year-old dog who frequents Delhi’s busy Kasturba Gandhi Marg.

He is fed every day by Vijay Kumar Maurya, who runs a tea stall catering to the many office employees who work in the area.

“Sonu is obedient, and only gets upset if you try to give him stale food. He loves biscuits, but the only problem is that he doesn’t know when to stop eating. Sometimes he ends up eating too many and gets sick. But now I have learnt at what point to stop giving them to him,” he says.

Mr Maurya found Sonu in 2011 when he was still a puppy, alone and abandoned.

“He was around two months old. I started feeding him milk and biscuits and now it has become a habit. I decided to feed stray dogs after I saw a lady who would feed a whole lot of them every morning. Even though I don’t have the means to feed many of them, I thought at least I can feed one.”

Image captionSonu was two months old when this tea seller found him