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Compassion rains cats & dogs
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It is the excited wag and the absolute devotion of mongrels that has won over these dog lovers, writes MEERA MOHANTY
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Kiran Rao
SUZY SINGS. It has to be heard to be believed. With the perfection of a show dog, she hops on to her owner, Kiran Rao's lap and croons away; she may be a little out of tune but she's definitely a star.
Fify is the unofficial `doctor dog', who interacts with the inmates of Dr. George's Nursing Home in Kilpauk. Thomas George, her owner and administrator at the nursing home, believes it is "the unconditional affection that a dog bestows, something that is lacking in the human fraternity" that explains the bond between Fify and the psychiatric patients.
For Kiran and Thomas, pedigree is not a criterion. It is not the droop of the ears, the length of the fur or the curve of the tail, but it is the excited wag and the unreserved devotion of mongrels that has won over many dog lovers like them. According to Kiran, what her 12 dogs lack in pedigree, they more than make up for in intelligence.
Thomas George
Yet most people looking to own a dog will only take home a pedigree. Animal volunteers are constantly fighting this prejudice to find homes for mongrels and strays.
Anjali Sharma from People For Animals, recounts how a gentleman, `fresh from the Dog Show', came to the shelter looking for `jaati nayii'. "It's like coming to an orphanage and asking about the caste of a child," she says. "In a politically incorrect world I would be called a mongrel," laughs Kiran, daughter of a German mother and an Indian father.
Yashodhara Sundaram
Pets as investments
Devika Khazvini, advertising consultant and `foster mom to stray animals', says, "There are the snobs and then there are those who look at their pets as investments."
With breeds like the Pug, popularly known as the `hutch dog' selling for as much as Rs. 30,000, a litter a year can more than cover a pedigree's expensive care.
In comparison, Indian dogs, says veterinarian Dr. Priya Govind, have immunity to suit our climatic conditions and are easier to look after. "These are generally cross-breeds any way with high breed vigour and a greater resistance to viruses."
Anjal Sharma and Bernadett McEwan
Thomas George's well-groomed pack of seven, all rescued from the street, look just as handsome as Labradors. But inbreeding dogs for particular physical characteristics can also produce undesirable traits. According to Priya, the very practice of breeding has been taken to inhuman levels. "Did you know that beagles have been bred to be docile `table dogs' purely for scientific experimentation," she asks. Pedigree genes do not guarantee a good-tempered pet either. "An otherwise docile golden retriever can be trained to be aggressive."
Unnecessary fear
Nevertheless there is an irrational fear about stray dogs, which are stoned and mistreated often. Except for the odd tea stall owner, or garage mechanic, nobody wants to even see them around.
Anjali, who has 12 dogs, has had many quarrels, particularly with housing associations `trying to protect their children'. "When they can encourage their children to burst crackers that contain lead which is harmful to the brain, what can a dog do that's more harmful?"
"I have noticed that traumatised pups harbour an inbuilt fear but far from being aggressive, they are extremely affectionate," says Zoya Abraham, vouching for her dogs Balto and Nala and the two strays, Brownie and Coffee who have "adopted" her family.
Yashodhara Sundaram, a `post operative' animal caretaker, who has lived with 40 dogs, and nearly as many cats, has been feeding more than a dozen stray dogs every day. "In my 30 years of experience with strays, I've never felt threatened by them."
Chanda Walke may not have the place like Yashodhara Sundaram, but she shares the same passion, and feeds fifteen dogs in her area. "I had named a thin starved dog Ganesha, who looked scary to others. Now it is so healthy and good looking that everybody wants to pet it."
It's just about valuing the dog for what it is, an animal that will love you unconditionally in return for just a little bit of affection.
Fight for survival
WITH A budget of just two and a half lakhs a month, the PFA (People For Animals) finds it a constant struggle to keep its two dog shelters and a pound running. The one at Choolai is particularly in a sad condition. The ground, which they share with the malaria department, has open manholes, piles of rubble, and a boundary wall in absolute ruins. This doesn't stop men from using the entrance as a public toilet, nor does it stop the dogs from running out.
The conditions are so bad that dogs brought to the shelter are catching infections.
Bernadett McEwan, an active volunteer, holds up a fawn-coloured puppy with glazed yellow eyes. It is so weak that it can barely sit up. It was healthy when it was brought in. Today it's suffering from hepatitis — it may not survive. The intensive treatment that it needs is not available at the shelter. "Even the vet, with all his training, earns only Rs. 3,000 a month," says Bernadett.
The few boys employed there don't even know how to handle pups. With no volunteers and lack of funds, the sheer numbers defeat any efforts dedicated animal lovers make. Since dogs are no longer put to sleep, more humane and safe population control measures, such as spaying or neutering, have to be doubled.
Devika Khazvini, who is always on the lookout for homes for her rescued animals, believes some sort of federation of volunteers and mid-sized animal homes will ease the pressure on organisations like the PFA and Blue Cross. So does Bernadett McEwan, who is waiting for funds to start her own model NGO. Those who find it hard to ignore that vulnerable puppy look and those desperately following little paws, can call these numbers to adopt a stray, donate anti-rabies vaccine or any other medication or simply volunteer their services:
People for Animals: 044 26670793
Blue Cross: 044 22354959 / 22300666 / 22300655.
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