Lost and found: Kaddu, the airport dog, finally finds a home

The court had recently pulled up Delhi Police for failing to trace the dogs, which activists alleged were wrongfully lifted by airport authorities

For nearly 50 days, Kaddu, an ageing, almost toothless community dog who had quietly become part of the daily rhythm outside Delhi airport’s terminals, was missing. In her absence, anxious feeders circulated posters, volunteers combed neighbourhoods, social media campaigns gathered momentum, and the matter even reached the court.

Videos of Kaddu’s rescue and journey to her new home quickly spread online, showing the frail dog being carried gently into a car by volunteers. (HT Photo)

On Tuesday night, Kaddu was finally found. By Wednesday, she had a new home; with senior advocate Percival Billimoria.

The elderly dog, who had been missing since March 26, was traced to Shahbad Mohammadpur in Dwarka after weeks of relentless efforts by activists, feeders and animal lovers who refused to give up on her. Weak but alive, Kaddu was spotted near a local security guard’s post by a dog lover, Mohit Lamba, who alerted rescuers.

They rushed to the spot and circulated fresh photographs across WhatsApp groups while discussing the safest way forward for Kaddu. Within hours, Billimoria offered to adopt her.

Animal activist Jasmeet Kaur said, “The dog, we believe, was there for nearly a month. Some daily wage workers were feeding her. The location was about 3km from the airport. Authorities were still not able to find the dog.”

“A second missing dog — Brownie — is still being searched for,” Kaur added.

Videos of Kaddu’s rescue and journey to her new home quickly spread online, showing the frail dog being carried gently into a car by volunteers.

Billimoria, who lives in Pushpanjali Farms, said the decision to take Kaddu home was instinctive.

“We certainly could not leave her out there, or take the dog back to the airport. In fact, I was not even aware Kaddu was a female. But she is nearly 11 years old and cannot be left outside. I felt like I had to take her in,” he said.

He added that Kaddu was already beginning to settle into her new surroundings. “I have several other dogs too, so she will have company,” he said.

Billimoria said the episode once again exposed gaps in the implementation of the animal birth control programme and the system used to track stray dogs picked up by authorities.

“Citizens are doing their bit, but the authorities certainly are not. This also shows that the process to track dogs being lifted is faulty,” he said.

The Patiala House Courts has also been hearing a plea filed by animal lovers over the disappearance of the two community dogs, Kaddu and Brownie. The court had recently pulled up Delhi Police for failing to trace the dogs, which activists alleged were wrongfully lifted by airport authorities.

Earlier in April, Delhi International Airport Limited had said that a “brown dog” that had allegedly bitten two individuals and shown signs of aggression was “carefully handled, calmed, and gently returned to its familiar area”. The airport operator had also acknowledged that another dog had been missing since March 26, saying on X: “We sincerely hope it is safe and around.”