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Caring for dogs

PRATHIBHA PARAMESWARAN writes about a German lady's efforts to protect dogs.

Pic by M. Moorthy

Treating dogs at a veterinary clinic.

REMEMBER THE number of times you have cribbed about leading a dog's life. Without doubt, a dog's life on the streets is really hard. Most of the times they end up in dogcatcher's pen and breathe their last.

It took the efforts of a veterinary surgeon from Germany to provide shelter and care for the street dogs in Tiruchi. In a way, it has opened the eyes of many to the cruel treatment meted out to the animals.

With the inauguration of International Animal Rescue — an animal rights organisation active in Goa and Kerala — by Deike Schacht, dogs in K.K. Nagar will get a reprieve from the catchers.

Lover of animals

While working as a volunteer at the Government Veterinary Hospital, Palakkarai, it struck Dr. Deiki to do her bit for the welfare of street dogs and puppies. ``As vet, I have worked with all kinds of animals. There were lots of cows and goats brought to the hospital but hardly dogs and puppies. There was nobody to take care of dogs and so I contacted some organisations working with them in various parts of the country and they responded,'' she recounts.

She went to Goa and Kerala and studied their work, but returned to the city. She rented out a house with a few dog kennels and a clinic in the compound offering free medical help and shelter for them. As an animal lover, it was quite natural for Dr. Deike to be shocked by the torturous methods of dog killing by the corporation.

In her opinion, birth control is the best possible alternative. Dr.Deike's clinic provides anti-rabies vaccine free of cost for the stray dogs. A dog van does the rounds several times a week and returns with a pack of dogs, which after being provided food kept in the kennel. They are vaccinated and the male dogs, castrated through a simple operation. Such dogs are marked with an ear notch, a tattoo or a collar, before being released again so as to enable the public to identify the dog. ``Dogs are very affectionate and faithful to human beings. But all we do is throw stones at them or kill them. But killing is not a solution. We should be able to decrease the population of dogs in a more human way,'' she asserts.

Of late, Dr. Deiki's focus has also shifted to pet-owners, whose dogs she insists must be vaccinated and operated. She also tries to spread the message to schools, writing a few articles for the children, promoting the idea of free homing for dogs. Her children help her out at the clinic.

``They are too young to know about the problem. But they grow up learning how to take care of the poor animals,'' she points out.

Since January, Dr. Deiki has performed operation on 80 dogs.

She is confident that at least 100 dogs can be easily taken care of per month in future. She also plans to introduce the method of chemical castration in her clinic, which she says is more comfortable for the dogs. Though she has gained support and help from nearby areas, Dr. Deiki is yet to branch out completely. But she is all set to go ahead with the project.

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