Introduction:
It is out of personal experience, that our family has realized our responsibility towards the STRAY DOGS of our residential colony.
It was two years ago, our daughter Haritha saw a puppy which had fallen into an open drain on a rainy day and saved it from drowning. She brought it home and it ultimately has become a member of our family.
Within a span of few months, our family became a shelter for 15 stray dogs and, in one year, their number increased to 25, including new generation of puppies. In addition, a few more street dogs started visiting our home for food and shelter, especially during summer and rainy seasons.
Protests from neighbourhood:
As our home, a rented house, which was a dwelling place for four of our family, developed into a shelter for stray dogs – the house-owner and families within our neighbourhood raised strong protests. They even went as far as to threaten us with dire consequences if we continued to shelter stray dogs at our house.
Nevertheless, none of our family members were willing to drive the dogs back on to the streets. Instead, we started looking for an alternative shelter on a permanent basis i.e., a plot of land, kennels, clinics, mobile clinics, trained staff and necessary funding etc.
And the search continues:
Against this backdrop, we are making an appeal to national and international animal lovers and funding organizations which support animal welfare and control projects.
The following are the basic requirements for the primary activities, for which we are appealing to donors and animal lovers:
- Two hectares of land on the outskirts of our city (Vijayawada)
- An animal shelter with,
- Kennels
- Animal clinics
- All facilities to apply birth control measures
- Trained staff i.e.,
- Veterinary medical officers
- Awareness programmes in schools and colleges, and in our neighbourhood by means of,
- News bulletins
- Hand-outs & booklets
- Other media material
- Mobile clinics
- Vehicles to transport stray dogs
Shoury Babu Rebba (founder) and Rajani Suram (executive director)
KISES NGO, Vijayawada
