Much has been said about Pamela Anderson’s chest, but here’s one thing we now know for sure about it: Her heart’s in the right place. The former Baywatch star has proven it by adopting a street dog from Mumbai, India, as reported last week in the Hindustan Times.
Anderson has named the mixed-breed puppy Pyari, which is Hindi for “Loved One.”
“I’m tickled to be able to give Pyari a loving home. Desi” — that is, Indian — “dogs are stars,” Anderson said in a statement.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals project coordinator Benazir Suraiya explained how Pyari found a new home with the Hollywood star: “Anderson was moved by the pitiable conditions of Indian street dogs when she came to India in 2010 as a guest on the TV show Bigg Boss 4.”
Bigg Boss is an Indian reality-TV series similar to Big Brother. Anderson spent three days in the house just east of Mumbai where filming took place.
“Later when she got to know that PETA India’s chief Poorva Joshipura was visiting the US, she asked her to bring a homeless pup along,” Suraiya said.
That now formerly homeless pup is Pyari. Anderson is an honorary PETA director and passionate animal-rights activist who has publicized the maltreatment of Indian lab animals and the slaughter of stray dogs in Ukraine, among other causes. According to the Hindustan Times, animal-activist celebrities are rare in India:
“Ironically, while a lot of foreigners have been adopting Indian pets, our own Bollywood biggies vouch only for exotic purebreds. While Amitabh Bachchan owns a piranha den, Shanouk, his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had a female Boxer, Sunshine, reportedly gifted to her by ex-beau Vivek Oberoi. Shah Rukh Khan has imported Labradors Dash and Hulk. His arch rival Salman Khan owns a Mastiff called Veer, after the actor’s movie name. Bipasha Basu has a Chihuahua named Poshto, which was gifted to her by her ex-boyfriend John Abraham.”
Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of the New Delhi-based animal-rescue charity Friendicoes, told the Hindustan Times: “Delhiites have an aversion for Indian puppies. Anderson might help such people get rid of their bias.”
Class consciousness is clearly still alive and well in India, on whose history the caste system has left an indelible mark.
“I already have rescued dogs, and I urge everyone to join me in adopting a homeless dog from their local animal shelter or the streets instead of buying a so-called ‘pedigree,'” Anderson said, as quoted in the Times of India.
