The Hindu : Kerala News : Endless wait for his master

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Kerala

Endless wait for his master

Jabir Mushthari

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Not his master’s voice: The orphaned Great Dane at the District Veterinary Hospital in Kozhikode.

Kozhikode: There seems to be no end in sight to a young Great Dane’s wait for its lost master, as no one turned up to bid for the dog at the second auction held by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) here on Thursday. The two-year-old pet has been under the custody of the SPCA at the district veterinary hospital here for the last two months after local people found him abandoned on the outskirts of Mavoor town, with a limp on its foot.

The SPCA, with the District Collector as president, had decided to auction the Dane to the top bidder for a reduced base amount of Rs.10,000 after the first auction held a month ago was aborted following the bidder’s disagreement with the SPCA conditions and the “excess” base amount.

In the meanwhile, several people had approached the SPCA member and Chief Veterinary Officer N. Mohanan with claims of their ‘high credentials’ to take custody of the Dane. But interestingly, no one turned up for the auction. Dr. Mohan, however, said the Collector had advised him to follow transparent and straight procedure in handing over the pet to any claimants. Right now, the SPCA is bearing all the expenses of the dog, which come to around Rs.5,000 a month. The authorities areplanning to hold a third auction on a convenient date soon.

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