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Ensuring dogs health and home

Photo: T. Singaravelou

Kind-hearted: Marion Courtine and husband Andre with the animals at Dayakara. —

PUDUCHERRY: Even as the local bodies here are trying hard to tackle the stray dog menace, two non-governmental organisations in Auroville are taking the lead in performing birth control operations on stray dogs in the surrounding villages.

‘Dayakara’ and ‘Integrated Animal Care’ (IAC) have been conducting regular camps in the villages to perform operations, to treat injured animals and also to give dogs and puppies for adoption. Both the institutions have facilities for conducting operations and for post-operative care.

Dayakara claims to have conducted birth control operations on about 1,000 dogs in the last five years. The IAC claims to have done 500 in its two-and-half years of existence. According to Marion Courtine and husband Andre, who run Dayakara, “We conduct camps in the villages and choose stray dogs for sterlisation. All the animals that are operated upon are administered anti-rabies vaccine.” Says Rita of ‘Centre Field,’ “A dog couple can raise 10-12 pups every year. As nature has its own checks and balances, we don’t have an explosion of dog population.”

Dayakara and IAC are also promoting adoption of dogs among the public to find homes for the canines that don’t have one.

Says Ms. Rita, “When we give dogs and pups for adoption, we tell people about diet restrictions, vaccination, etc.” Ms. Courtine, who has been actively campaigning among people for adopting local breeds, says, “Local breeds are more suited to Indian conditions. I have just one piece of advice to those who want to pick up very young puppies from the streets. They should either take both the mother and pup to an NGO to give them proper care or should not separate the little one from its mother till it is a couple of months old. That time is needed for the puppy to develop strength and immunity to survive.”

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