Taj Ma Howl owner visits Taj Mahal, finds puppies

Taj Ma Howl owner Jim Caperelli just can’t seem to leave his work at home.

Dewey’s doggy daycare owner recently returned from a month-long trip to India, where he attended nine weddings - one with a Dewey connection - visited major cities, and found a litter of newborn puppies in a very unlikely place.

“There are 20,000 visitors a day at the Taj Mahal, and I, owner of Taj Ma Howl, find a litter of puppies in the bushes there,” Caperelli laughed. “Truly a miracle.”

Caperelli said he was making his way toward a bathroom when he heard crying, so he poked around the bushes, and that’s when he found five brown-and-tan pups nestled together. 

What made the discovery even more unusual, Caperelli said, was that although thousands of dogs roam city streets, none are allowed in the sacred place.

“Otherwise, there would be hundreds of them there,” he said. “Yet this mother snuck in and had her pups at one of the seven wonders of the world.”

Caperelli managed a pic with one of the pooches before their mother returned.

“She was not happy with me,” he laughed. “She wanted her pup back!”

Caperelii originally traveled to Anand, India, to attend the wedding of friend Rishi Patel, whose uncle, Gaurang Tiku Patel, owns Bay Road Package Store and Valero in the Forgotten Mile.

“They’re from Anand, and own a home there as well,” Caperelli said. “Gaurang and his family took such good care of me while I was there. Such a kind, loving family.”

Caperelli soon found the hospitality he experienced in Anand wasn’t unique. Although he was formally invited to only one wedding, he ended up attending eight more because of the kindness of strangers.

“It’s wedding season, and the people of India are the most loving I’ve seen in all of my travels,” he said. “The rest of the weddings, I was invited to out of the blue by families I met along the way. They knew I was traveling alone.” 

Weddings are extravagant events, he said, that last several days. In all, Caperelli visited the Pink City of Jaipur, Agra, New Delhi and Mumbai, where he visited Juhu Beach overlooking the Arabian Sea and attended a Hindu service. Overall, Caperelli said, he feels blessed by a truly spiritual experience.

“If not for the Taj Mahal, I wouldn’t have named my business the Taj Ma Howl,” he said. “If not for Taj Ma Howl, I would not have had the luxury to be at the Taj Mahal. In the Hindu religion, everything is intertwined. Finding those puppies was no accident - they found me, the dog lover from Dewey Beach.”