The COVID-19 pandemic has been cruel on both strays and pet dogs. During the lockdown, there has been a steep rise in the number of dogs, especially pedigree dogs, being rescued by the NGOs and individuals. “Once, we got a call that a Labrador was roaming at the market nearby. We managed to pay some taxi operators to get him here. We also rescued a husky, followed by four injured street dogs, who now live with our pets at our farm,” says Harshdeep Singh, Founder of Tegha Kennel.
Geeta Sheshmani of Frendicoes says they rescued almost 30 pet dogs. The fear of contracting COVID was the number one reason behind the abandonment. “As the lockdown kept extending, people started leaving their pets at our city centre shelter in Defence Colony. With no movement of personal vehicles allowed, the owners were finding it difficult to take their pets for treatment to the vet. These dogs were aged, had a chronic skin problem or kidney issues. Some people did not even inform us while leaving their pets at our gate,” says Sheshmani.
Her team found a Shar Pei dog tied in the park, and four Labradors tied to a gate. “In a way, lockdown became an excuse for irresponsible pet owners to dump their dogs. Some owners were given a hard time by the neighbours. If they took the dog out, people would say: “‘It is not allowed to take dogs out. You will get sick and infect us as well’,” recalls Sheshmani, adding that dog feeders were criticised for not keeping to the lockdown rules, even if they wore face masks.
Community kitchen
Noida-based Posh Foundation’s Aditi Badam started a community kitchen to provide meals to 1,000 animals every day. “The lockdown had impacted the strays who depend on locals, vendors, and shopkeepers for food and water. Since everything was shut, they got no food. We distributed food with the help of local animal lovers and volunteers in Noida and Ghaziabad to make sure they don’t die due to starvation.
A lot of people came with cooked food to help feed the stray animals.” Badama’s farm spread in an area of three acres is home to 30 dogs that were rescued during the last two months. People For Animals Raja Garden centre that houses over 4,000 animals, would rescue about 100 dogs pre-COVID. “But during the lockdown, the number went three times up. We worked with the Indian Veterinary Association to make sure that misinformation doesn’t lead to the abandonment of dogs. We run an ambulance which was functional all through the lockdown. We were feeding over 25,000 animals per day in Delhi-NCR,” says trustee Gauri Maulekhi.
Injuries & deaths
While some strays succumbed to summer heat, were run over by vehicles. “I got at least five-six calls daily requesting treatment for injured dogs,” says Kuldeep Chaudhary, who runs a Dog Boarding in Indrapuram. A man left his Labrador when the lockdown began saying that they were going to their hometown. “And now they have just stopped taking my calls. Pets are like kids. Only a person who is out of his mind will abandon their kid in such a situation,” adds Chaudhary.
With transportation shut, accident cases declined in Noida during the lockdown, but picked up post-Unlock 1.0, observes Dr Shrvan Gupta, who runs SKV Animal Clinic in Noida. “During the lockdown, I only took care of emergency cases. Many dogs died from heatstroke and fever. People should keep water bowls outside their homes to prevent this.” Badam adds, people should always check under their car “to make sure no animal is sleeping under there.”
Spreading the word
Noticing the increasing number of abandoned pets, Posh Foundation made its helpline operational 24x7. “We counselled people and got a video made from a veterinary doctor requesting people not to abandon their dogs. The situation is far better now, but it was chaotic at the beginning of lockdown. We even pleaded and made people adopt those dogs,” adds Badam.
PFA also made videos with the help of celebrities to spread a message through social media that animals do not contract COVID. “We have over 35 shelters across the country, and we take in abandoned animals all the time. But it is disheartening that people are also abandoning pedigree dogs. In such cases, we have to look for fosters because they are used to living with families. The video messages on social media helped a lot in containing the abandonment,” adds Maulekhi.