Mumbai: Woman rescues puppies kept with ‘breeder’ by adoptive family

Preselle Mascarenhas

A fashion designer from Borivli, Preselle Mascarenhas, had to rescue two puppies that she gave up for adoption after the adoptive family allegedly left them with a ‘breeder'. After rescuing them, the 21-year-old lost one of the puppies, Dolce, while the other, Helsinki, is being treated but is in a critical condition.

Helsinki and Dolce, who died

The adoptive family claimed that they were supposed to take them to their farmhouse in Badlapur but could not go amid the lockdown. They then kept the dogs with the Andheri-based caretaker. Late on Tuesday, Mascarenhas, a resident of IC Colony, Borivli, submitted a complaint at MIDC police station in the matter. MIDC police said they would record Kenneth Serrao and others' statements and take action if required.

Mascarenhas's pet Doberman gave birth to six puppies on February 27 and all were adopted by various families. Helsinki and Dolce were adopted by Andheri resident Kenneth for his uncle, Roshan Serrao.

Mascarenhas was in touch with all adoptive families but could not get in touch with the Serraos. She managed to speak to them after several attempts. "When I enquired about the puppies, both claimed they had no idea, they blamed each other. When I finally saw their situation through the pictures they provided, I asked them to immediately return the puppies. Kenneth dropped the puppies at my place on May 4. The doctor's report said that they were given the wrong medication, were underfed and kept in an unhygienic state. Their organs couldn't function properly. I want justice for them," Mascarenhas said.

Mascarenhas said, "I agreed to give the pups to the Serrao family because they were to be raised on a farmhouse. However, they were left with a breeder who had no idea how to take care of puppies. Their vaccination was ignored. Dolce died on May 9. Helsinki is responding to treatment and getting a blood transfusion. It's really sad to know the lengths people can go to to make a quick buck."

Kenneth's father, Ronald, said, "We were not able to take the puppies to the farmhouse due to the lockdown. We kept them with a well-known dog caretaker outside our home. We had also fixed their vaccination on May 19. But Mascarenhas pressured us to return them. They were in good condition. Three days later, Mascarenhas called and complained that the puppies had a fever. The puppies were too young and given up for adoption too early. They needed their mother's milk."