79/ 100 Tony Slice

On our most recent visit to India I was determined to not only photograph dogs, but to also try and find out a little bit about them. If there was someone near the dogs, I would ask whether it was theirs and whether it had a name. Most of them seemed to still be anonymous indie street dogs (but I am sure a lot of folk also didn’t understand my questions so the dogs may well have had names) but, to my joy, I discovered that so many of the dogs did have a name, and along with that usually came at least a little bit of help in life.

A while back I wrote about the first dog I had found that had really made it – Kalu – an adopted street dog that now lived inside a lovely apartment in Jaipur and was as near to what I would consider to be a pet. I know that there are plenty of rescued street dogs that have met the right kind-hearted person and now live a life of luxury. However, there are also a lot of indie dogs who have more of a blended life. They live mostly on the streets, but they also receive the care and attention in their lives that can make their existence just that little bit more pleasant.

Tony Slice — more about the name later — lived just around the corner from our Bangalore hotel, the one with the dirtiest windows in the world. She was to be found in the opposite direction from the enormous girl, Idli, and was usually outside a fabulous pizza restaurant called Serious Slice. Fortunately Serious Slice was on our side of Cunningham Road because it was so busy that it would typically take about 4 hours to cross.

We ate there and it was genuinely amazing. When you think about it, pizzas are well suited to Indian cuisine. They are already great masters of a wildly diverse range of breads and they can turn a simple cup of milk into a myriad of tasty things. Rustling up a bit of sourdough and some delicious cheese was already second nature to them, and Serious Slice have managed to raise their pizza game to perfection.

Outside this pizza place, Tony Slice was always to be found sleeping contentedly in her comfortable love-heart fabric bed. I say always, typically she wasn’t there when we actually first visited when I could’ve asked about her story… I could see that she was very well cared for, and clearly had made a home outside the restaurant, but I wanted to know more so I sent Serious Slice a message through their Instagram channel. A few days passed and then I received this wonderfully heartwarming story of how Tony Slice got her name and became a permanent fixture on their doorstep.

Our founder and owner, Mr. Anirudh Kheny, is a lifelong dog lover. While we were setting up Serious Slice on Cunningham Road, we came across a gentle indie dog who would quietly wait at the entrance of the construction site every day. What struck Mr. Anirudh was that she never entered the site on her own, almost as if she had been conditioned not to, possibly by the previous establishment.

Over time, she began spending her entire day at the site and quickly became part of the journey as the restaurant took shape. The construction team and later our restaurant staff grew deeply attached to her. During the two to three months it took to build Serious Slice, we consistently fed her, looked after her, and ensured she was safe and comfortable.

Mr. Anirudh formally adopted her through the Cunningham Road Canine Society, who had been caring for her earlier. He and his wife, Mrs. Neeti Kheny, named her Slice, inspired by the restaurant. We later learned that the Cunningham Road Canine Society had originally named her Tony, and over time her name naturally became Tony Slice.

Tony Slice is now lovingly cared for by the entire Serious Slice team. She receives regular veterinary checkups and proper medical care. Our staff ensure she is fed, bathed, and looked after daily. Mr. Anirudh’s personal driver, Mr. Benny, plays a key role in taking her to the vet and maintaining her medical records. Within the restaurant, Mr. Biplab, our head pizzeria chef, oversees her day to day care.

Tony Slice is truly the heart of Serious Slice, and she is loved deeply by everyone who works here.

Now I don’t have have a personal driver, or my own head chef. Tony Slice is doing better than me in life.

Whilst being a wonderful antidote to all of the photographs I’ve made of the less fortunate dogs who have not been as lucky as Tony Slice, this story also brings to mind my own frustration with never having enough time in a place. We had three nights in Bengaluru – so only two full days – and even in such a short period of time I discovered so much that I wanted to delve deeper into. Now that I have heard of the Cunningham Road Canine Society all I want to do is go back and visit them and ask about their work, but flying nine hours to get there is a bit of a stretch.

I really love journalistic photography. Making photographs and then investigating what I discover. However each photograph or story always to more burning questions that I feel the need to delve into. I am currently asking the universe to allow someone who works in publishing to see my project and send me on some assignments so that I can do the work I feel I was born to do.