Poonam Dhillon – the Gapoochi Gapoochi Gum Gum girl, instantly won the hearts of millions of Indian cinegoers and still today she manages to steal the show with grace. A naïve lasso of all 16, she was crowned with Miss India title in 1979…and as they say, rest is the history. Her successful stint with bollywood continued till late 80s… and some of her memorable flicks were Noorie, Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986) and Naam (1986).

She’s a successful business woman as well. She pioneered the concept of make-up van in Indian tinsel town. Her company “VANITY” is reaping good moolah. She also launched her own website in 2000 and is actively involved with the social causes like drug awareness, AIDS awareness, family planning, organ donation, etc. Like most of the newage woman, she is also enjoying the best of both the worlds’…be it professional or personal. Well! She is blessed with two lovely children - Anmol and Paloma - and one pet kid - Pepper. And she very much enjoys the company of her teenage pals and furry friends. Infact, Poonam has always shared her life with pets, especially dogs.

My first pets…

“I always had pets, mostly dogs since childhood. My fi rst canine friend was a cute black dog called “biscuitie.” I have no idea which breed he was but he was simply adorable!”

My favourite pets…

“Till now, I have shared my life with four dogs and all of them were very special. But, I would like to mention one cutie named “Gypsy” who was a mix breed of Dachshund & Tibetian Spaniel, which made him small yet not bald like a sausage but furry with adorable gorgeous eyes! My current pet “Pepper” is not a pet but like a third child of the family and so is referred to as - my son,” tells Poonam with a twinkle in her eyes.

Lovely anecdote of Pepper…

“ Pepper is extremely intelligent and intuitive. It seems he can actually tell time. He will laze around the house throughout the day but he is always at the gate when it’s time for my daughter Paloma to come back from school. He is very fond of Paloma and wants to be at the door to welcome her everyday.”

Spending time with Pepper…

“Whenever I am home, he is always around. At night, he sits with my daughter until she sleeps and then, comes to my room and sleeps there.”

What I love about Pepper…

“I love his calm and affectionate nature, not to forget his lovely face and loving eyes, ” shares Poonam. We bet nobody can forget Poonam’s lovely smile as well!

What Pepper loves about me…

“Everything… after all I am his MUM. But, yes, he doesn’t like when he gets shouted at. He simply sulks and needs pampering after that.”

Favourite activity together…

“All the stuff my daughter does with him…very noisy but fun,” tells the proud mom.

Funny/crazy antics…

“Jumping on bed…noisily chewing on squeaky toys and taking any stuffed toy to be his own property.”

Any annoying habits…

“Greed…staring longingly at whoever is eating…” she adds with a laugh.

Pepper and vacations…

“Unfortunately, most of our vacations are out of India or by plane and so we just can’t take Pepper along. But, we do take him on local outings. He just loves to travel by road.”

Pepper’s exercise and nutrition needs…

“Even though my house help is well tuned to his needs, but I and my daughter take care that Pepper is fed a well-balanced diet and is well exercised as well,” tells Poonam. That’s like a responsible pet parent, we are proud of you Poonam!

Pepper’s favourite dishes…

“He is an ‘EAT ANYTHING YOU EAT’ dog. His favourite dishes list is endless… chicken, biscuits, dosa, butter toast, burgers, pizza, apples, cucumbers…you name it and he likes it,” tells Poonam laughingly.

His special treat…

“Besides, the above list, birthday cake made for him with less sugar plus Chewy sticks and other doggy treats which my daughter buys regularly for him.”

Tips on responsible ownership…

“Treat him as you would treat your child because when we take him/her away from his/her own mum…we do take on that role,” concludes Poonam. Very right Poonam, dog lovers would defi nitely agree!