CHENNAI: I have never been much of a ‘dog person’. Perhaps, I have inherited my father’s fear of being bitten or, more likely, it’s the neighbourhood canine that chased me down the street that soured my opinion. Whatever the reason, I have never felt the need for a dog in my life. That is until I heard Harsini Mirudula speak of her bright-eyed golden-haired indie. “Heera is the queen of our household,” she exclaimed and I couldn’t help but smile. It has been five months since the pup received royal status. Interestingly, the adoption might not have happened at all, had Harsini not caught wind of the dark underbelly of the breeding industry.
Let’s rewind to the beginning of this year when Harsini set out to purchase a pure breed dog; possibly a labrador like the one her grandmother had. “I followed a few Instagram pages in the initial days of the search and found out about the mistreatment and pain that dogs suffer at the hands of the breeders. I saw horrible pictures of aged dogs holed up in cages. It was disturbing to me that dogs could be a business to some people,” said the city resident.
Haunted by this newly acquired information, Harsini turned to Dogs of Madras, a crowd-sourced initiative dedicated to liaising adoption services between foster parents and adopters. Their Instagram and Facebook pages are catalogues of adoption details for many indies fostered by rescuers or caretakers. This is where Harsini came across Heera’s profile. “It may sound cheesy but they (dogs) change our lives in so many ways. I am so thankful to have found her. ” While Heera received her happy ending, many other dogs — wearing a rather hopeful look on the social media posts — wait to be adopted.
The new era of adoption
Mahanya Vanidas, a 22-year-old writer, started this Instagram forum (@dogsofmadras) in 2017 when she recognised the dearth of adoption pages on the social media platform. The posts, inspired by Humans of New York, echo the storyteller format. The cute pictures may draw you in but it’s the heart-warming stories that make you pause. Take the story of Charlie and Lola, two indies rescued after their mother’s near-fatal accident.
“Charlie is a foodie. She’ll act like a ninja, finding all kinds of sneaky ways to get a teeny tiny bite of whatever you’re holding. Also a poser. Lola is more into playing. She loves play-fighting with the other dogs, even if they’re twice her size.” reads the post. Stories like Charlie and Lola’s have won more than 20,000 followers for the account. “It blew up in a way I had never expected. Initially, I had to seek permission to post details but now the requests keep pouring in,” says Mahanya, who is a dog-lover and on-ground volunteer for adoption services.
The injustice to indies
While the account features some purebred dogs (mostly older ones), it is largely populated with indies. Unfortunately, they struggle to find new homes. The indies remain victims of countless misconceptions. “People think the indies are aggressive or dirty or that they all have rabies. That is not true. They also often think that indies are not good with children. I don’t know where that came from but the dogs are wonderful with kids,” says Mahanya, while Harsini adds indies are known to be more adaptable and affectionate and have a strong immunity system.
Unfortunately, all this myth-busting hasn’t gained Mahanya too many converts. “The stigma is exhausting. People will see a dog they find cute and then say ‘oh, stray dog ah? I don’t want it. This has slowly started to change but there is a long way to go. People need to be much more patient with the pups for whom the new environments can be very disorienting,” she comments.
The hierarchy of adoption does not end at breed but further branches out into gender and age, shares Mahanya. Female dogs are often neglected due to their menstrual cycles and the fear of pregnancy. When it comes to age, very few remain interested in a pup after 3-4 months. “In cases of long-term fosters, the caretakers often get attached and decide to adopt the dogs themselves!” Is this a happy ending or an unfortunate reality? Perhaps, you can help.