Street homes for pet dogs
WSD claims residents are increasingly abandoning their pets that are unable to survive due to lack to training ……….Swati Soni
WSD claims residents are increasingly abandoning their pets that are unable to survive due to lack to training ……….Swati Soni
Just as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) officials were patting themselves for controlling the stray dog menace, another worrying issue has popped up.
The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) claims that an increasing number of dog owners in Mumbai are abandoning their pet dogs. These dogs are mainly either old or extra pups that residents have no space for.
The WSD claims that every month they receive approximately 15 to 20 calls reporting pets being abandoned. There is definitely a rise in the number of abandoned pet dogs. Peole are abandoning dogs of various breeds from Pomeranians, Alsatians, German Shepherds to Dalmatians, says Abodh Aras, CEO, WSD.
Also, not only are pets being abandoned, but are being done so in a cruel manner. Since most pet owners are aware that their dog will find its way home, the latter are often tied to a pillar or lamppost somewhere far from their homes,” says Amit Sawant, a Tardeo resident who recently found two abandoned Pomeranian pups outside his society.
When pets are abandoned, there pose a greater problem than strays. Strays adapt themselves to the ways of the city and can survive on their own. Pets, on the other hand, don’t know how to behave when faced with a harsher street environment and don’t even know how to go about securing food for themselves. Not to mention that they are often not accepted by the stray dogs of their new locality,” says Anuradha Sawhney, member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Recently, we have also been getting an increasing number of calls from pet owners asking us if we can take way their dogs. Though we hope, these people will not abandon their dogs, it is a matter of concern, says Aras.
PETA, too, has been receiving an increasing number of such distress calls. Sawhney adds, Several dog owners are migrating abroad and need homes for their pets. They do contact us and we try and see if we can find a home for them. Many abandon their pets when they grow up and stop looking cute or when the family cannot just cope with expenses.
In order to avoid such abandoning, the animal right activists are also demanding more stringent laws with mandatory pet licenses. The Prevention of Cruelty Animal Act (Section 11) is not a stringent law and if caught, people get away with a mere fine of Rs 50 to Rs 100, reveals Aras.
Another alternative as put out by Worli resident Neel Bhat is the adoption of an abandoned pet dog. Scooby, a German Shepherd was recently adopted by Bhatt. I adopted him because I fell in love with him instantly. But, I also understand that having a pet dog is like having a child. It’s a full-time responsibility and I will try and fulfil it,” says Bhatt.