As the city decks up in preparation for Diwali and citizens enjoy their time, the strays suffer in silence. The use of firecrackers during the festival of lights have harmful effects on street animals, and also kill a number of them.
Feeling for these ‘unacknowledged residents’, Perroayuda Welfare Foundation - a non-government organisation (NGO) from Rohini - works for the well-being of stray dogs. Headed by Arpit Mathur (21), the organisation has conducted drives in public places such as Connaught Place's Central Park, with about 80 volunteers feeding more than 150 stray dogs in a single location.
Providing canine comfort
Founded in 2019, Perroayuda started as a one-man initiative when Mathur chanced upon a scraggy stray dog in his locality in West Delhi. "Lying on the footpath, he was skinny and starving. I bought some milk and bread to feed him, and from there, my journey began," says Mathur.
Joined by fellow directors Prabhjeet Singh and Manav Yadav, the organisation was officially registered as an NGO in 2020. The name Perroayuda is a combination of two Spanish words - 'Perro' means dog and 'Ayuda' means help.
Mathur points out that their aim is to find and care for all stray dogs. Currently working with over 150 volunteers who feed more than 1,000 strays every day in various Delhi-NCR locations, Mathur says, "This month onwards, we plan to recruit more volunteers from Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram."
Focusing on care
Along with feeding dogs, the organisation also rescues strays in need and provides a caring environment for them. Singh, who heads the rescue department of the organisation with his team, has successfully saved more than 1,000 strays - dogs, cats, monkeys, cows, horses, and even injured birds - since the inception of this organisation.
As a non-profit, Perroayuda mostly functions on public donations and sponsorships. Their volunteers are encouraged to feed at least one stray a day, and most of them do so out of their own pockets.
This initiative also focuses on adopting strays instead of buying pets. "A dog is a dog, no matter the breed it belongs to. There has been a distinct change in people’s mindsets - I know many who have adopted strays to give them a better life," says Mathur, while mentioning how their awareness drives focus on asking people to adopt indigenous breeds instead of international ones.