CHENNAI: A few months back, a German Shephard was found wandering about the streets of Kottur. The frail and malnourished dog sniffed the ends of female pedestrians’ saris, earning sharps words and a threatening lift of hands. The collar around his neck suggested that he had been abandoned. Sticking his tail, which supported a maggot-infested wound, between his legs, the dog slunk away.
When Suchitra saw this dog, she tenderly approached it and took him to a vet. The dog was soon adopted by a woman named Jayashree, and now lives a happy life. But he is one of the few lucky abandoned pets in Chennai.
As a member of the People For Cattle India (PFCI), Suchitra is no stranger to the sight of collared dogs on the road. PFCI rescues around 20 to 25 animals every month, which includes dogs. According to animal rights activist Arun Prasanna, dogs are abandoned due to financial reasons, as certain dogs develop health issues with age that require costly medical treatment. Some dogs are even abandoned due to superstition, with a few believing that keeping a dog garners bad karma and goes against astrological charts. These dogs are left in unsafe areas like highways, which can lead to fatal accidents for animals and drivers.
According to Anthony Rubin, an animal activist who has been involved in animal rescue and rehabilitation since 2000, many animals are bought during the festive season as presents. Once the owners realise the amount of work involved in taking care of a pet, the animal is abandoned. “What these people don’t understand is that dogs get really attached to humans. When they are abandoned, they go into deep depression and, in some cases, they don’t eat, don’t defecate, and don’t urinate. They kill themselves in grief. Dogs in shelters have limited food as these shelters and charities hang on a limited budget,” he says.
“However, the most common reason for pets being disowned is due to unethical breeding practices. To the unethical dog breeder, dogs are seen as breeding machines throughout their lives. Once the dog passes it’s prime, it is let loose on the roads. These poor dogs never had a decent life and they will not have one on the roads,” says Prasanna.
According to Prasanna, pets shops breed animals for longer than necessary. They also force female dogs to breed at a very young age, which equals to artificial breeding, and take away the puppies after just a few days. The pedigree are made to breed every 3-4 months, which leads to the deterioration of their physical health.
The provisions under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act are insufficeint, say the activists. “The government doesn’t seem to have set of rules with pets and ownership. Pet shops and breeding should be regulated. There’s so much money involved in this industry, and yet no service tax or GST. It is questionable even from an economic front,” says Prasanna. An RTI reply from the Chennai Corporation revealed that they have no information on pet shops and breeding rules.
“People buy dogs just to entertain especially during Valentine’s Day and festive seasons and after the celebrations are over, they abandoned the poor animals,” says Rubin.
He emphasises that people should adopt rather than buy dogs from the market. Proper homework is a must before you plan to have pets, as it comes with a lot of responsibility. Consent from family, partners and homeowners is essential.
He adds that pet licences and registration should be made mandatory by the government so that records are kept for each adopted pet to avoid animal abandonment and cruelty in the future.