MANGALURU: Pinky , an approximately 18-month-old desi dog , which was once stuck at a construction site and battling for life, has now emerged as the national winner of PETA India’s seventh annual Cutest Indian Dog Alive contest Pinky had earlier edged out hundreds of other dogs to become one of the 10 finalists. Last year, Jean Crasta found the helpless pup at a construction site near Mangala Stadium here. Jean took her home and made the pup a part of her family.“I happened to see her when I was feeding other stray dogs. With the help of a corn seller, I rescued her and took her home. Her toes and nose are so pink that I named her Pinky,” Jean said.PeTA India, in a statement, said it created the contest to show that the kindest thing a prospective guardian can do is to adopt a dog from the streets or an animal shelter.“No animal should face abuse of any form. I would encourage all those who can, to adopt a pet and see the difference in their lives, as the well as in the pet’s life,” Jean told TOI.“This will also help us work towards a Mangaluru which is free of disowned and abandoned animals,” she added.“Pinky proves that adopting a dog from the streets or an animal shelter can fill your life with a joy and love that words can’t express,” said Erika Goyal, associate manager of online marketing, PeTA India. “Although this pup has won our contest, all rescued dogs who have found loving homes are winners,” Erica said.Pinky will receive a certificate and a, ‘100 Per Cent Desi Dog’ T-shirt, and her guardian Jean will receive a ‘My Dog Is a Rescue Dog’ T-shirt as well as a copy of PeTA India founder Ingrid Newkirk’s book, ‘Let’s Have a Dog Party! 20 Tail-Wagging Celebrations to Share With Your Best Friend.’Brownie from Puducherry, whose guardian is Shael Tyagi Kundra, has been adjudged the runner-up. The second runner-up is Chuchu, whose guardian is Tavneet Walia from Pune.All winners will appear in an upcoming issue of Animal Times, PeTA’s magazine for members.Jean Crasta completed her master’s in sociology, master’s in English and a diploma in counselling and early childhood development. She has also pursued diploma in naturopathy, beauty therapy, skin and hair.To fulfil a mission to help and provide support to children who suffered different forms of abuse, she set up, ‘The Little Flowers Child Counselling Centre’ in Mangaluru in 1998. She is currently the trustee of the centre.She also embarked on a mission to help women rediscover themselves and build their self-confidence with fashion and image makeovers. More recently, she further built on this passion by opening an exclusive Bridal Makeup and Hairstyle Salon. A part of the money from the salon goes towards supporting stray animals.

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