Chandigarh, Aug. 22 -- For some, dogs are pets. For many others across Chandigarh, they're family, healers, even life's greatest teachers.

Take Ruby Saggar for instance. A resident of Sector 21, Chandigarh, she doesn't even refer to her dogs as pets. To her, Simba and Jinga are "daughters". Simba walked into Ruby's life 13 years ago in Udhampur and later gave birth to four puppies - Jinga being the one who stayed. From Simba's intelligence and resilience to Jinga's quiet companionship, which Ruby describes as "the daughter I didn't get to have", her life has been shaped around this love. She rescues dogs across the city, advises shelters and vets, and even asks friends to fund dog treatments instead of buying her gifts on her birthday. A...