HYDERABAD : Diwali is barely two weeks away and animal lovers know how stressful the festival can be for stray animals in the city. While most stop at posting about the need to create a safe haven for these animals, this Hyderabadi girl says she is serious about helping you adopt strays in the city and even gifting them to friends and family for Diwali. Vijaya Lakshmi Iyer Polisetti, aka Vijju, already has adopted one and wants you too to do so.
“I make digital content on Instagram with my strays as a message to adopt Indian breeds. I hope more citizens are keen to adopt strays, especially during festivals where we burn crackers,” says this resident of Srinagar Colony, with a community of around eight dogs (vaccinated and dewormed).
“I do timely updates and lives that fostered animals found in and around Hyderabad are vaccinated, live videos on how to take care of your strays around your community. Yes, live videos and Insta stories with a creative twist,” she adds.
“Hyderabad stray adoption can be simply categorised into ‘before social media’ and ‘after social media’. Previously it was only the Blue Cross drives arranged and people going and adopting animals from there. But after these independent rescuers starting making groups of people who have similar animal interests, it has become much easier,” she adds. “Fun fact. I also do jugad/ to convince your parents live segments for teenagers who really want to get a pet but parents are super strict,” she says.
Vijju, a chatty radio jockey who hosts the evening segment of an FM radio channel, says that she uses funky Telugu cinema dialogues to get her point across. “These days when you put up an Insta story, viewers are like, ‘accha ek aur adoption post’ and just scroll away. Instead, I add filmi tadka which will make people read it and leave a glance at the pup,” she states. Vijju turns into Pandu from Ninne Pelladatha to Mahesh Babu in Bharath Ane Nenu to take the message far and wide. Creativity, she believes, gets the eyeballs.
Vijju herself is a dog mom. Talking about how she found her dream stray pup, she recounts, “ I found him five years ago. He was a little pup. His neck tied to a pole near a chicken shop. His neck had no hair and was tightly leashed. I went and fought with those people. The place turned into a war zone literally as nobody takes a furry little lady seriously. I initially thought the dog was a female and named her Pinky. But after rescuing him one night, realised he was male. I now call him Pinky – The Macho Dog,” says this stray lover.
This Diwali, Vijju wants to urge people to adopt a stray of gift him/her to the family. “It is a gift for the family, the dog and good karma for you. Even during the pandemic, people did not stop from stepping out, shopping or even joy rides. So it will definitely not stop them from making a hungama this Diwali too. Strays are particularly affected by the pandemic and Diwali will just make it worse. Paws of Hyderabad (page on Instagram who help to fostering animals) and a rescue team in Hyderabad are always just a call away. We’re alert already for Diwali,” she adds.
A few years ago, a group of animal lovers got together and went around different areas to get strays around vaccinated and dewormed. Most of the strays you see on roads in Hyderabad are vaccinated, neutered and dewormed, she says. Whenever we rescue animals (from a pup, kitten to a fully grown dog or a cat) we check if they’re vaccinated and dewormed, ensure that is done and only then put them up for adoption. When we do that, vets usually give out a report that says vaccination is done on a particular date. While adoption is being done, this report is given to the ones adopting for further notice of the next dates vaccinations. This helps us gauge the dog’s current state of health”, she informs.
What to remember while adopting a stray
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com @mkalanidhi