With wagging tails, excited yelps and that adorable puppy face, they stole our hearts aeons ago.
To be more precise, it was around 30,000 years ago that this bond began blooming. Humans were in their hunter-gatherer era, and a mutually beneficial relationship sprouted as hunting companions. It is said that dogs evolved from grey wolves and were the first domesticated animals.
During an excavation in Bonn, Germany, archaeologists found the bones of a dog buried along with two humans. Now known as the Bonn-Oberkassel dog, named after the place of burial, it was 7.5 months old at the time of death.
This slender dog, researchers say, shares a few physical traits with West Asian wolves, such as the Indian wolf. The puppy, studies say, was sick since birth and survived so long only due to human care.
Best friends to bitter battles
A look at recent news articles in Kerala presents quite an opposite picture. Stories of dogs attacking humans, humans bludgeoning dogs, rabies deaths, and the rising hatred towards strays dominate headlines.
The relationship between humans and their first animal companions appears a bit shaky these days.
This International Dog Day, TNIE looks into this frayed bond and the trend of adopting indie dogs.
“Now, there is a fear among people. A never-seen-before kind of apathy and hatred...” says Veena Janardhanan, a dog lover who takes care of about 70 stray canines on her property.
Just a couple of months ago, she was the victim of a mob attack and was evicted from her rented home. “I have never witnessed such anger and hatred towards dog lovers and dogs. I wanted to move out and for that I needed time to find a new house, but the local residents were not even ready to wait,” she says. “Now, with the recent Supreme Court intervention, the stigma has spiralled,” she adds.
Moreover, the abandonment of dogs has gone up. “There was a time,” says Veena, “when most stray dogs were our local breeds. But now the situation has changed. In the past few years, many are abandoning even foreign-breed dogs.”
There is a reason for this, says veterinarian Dr Megha K Santhosh. “During the pandemic, many bought puppies as people had a lot of time on their hands, and were feeling lonely. But now, the dogs have grown up and have started having health issues. People ave to work, and do not have time or money to take care of their pets. So they end up on the streets,” she says.
Dr Megha adds that many of the ‘trending’ foreign breeds are not suitable for Kerala’s hot and humid climate. “As a result, they easily develop many diseases. They need constant care, from regular baths and medicines to a specialised diet and frequent hospital visits,” she notes.
Dr Megha advocates the adoption of indie breeds. “They will be healthier and hassle-free, since this is their homeland,” she says.
Dona Denny, founder of Kochi-based Pawsome Party, which organises dog-related events and adoption drives with NGOs, says youngsters have increasingly been adopting dogs over the past couple of years.
“All our adoption drives have been centred around stray dogs. And mostly young graduates and couples come looking for a companion,” she says.
“So far, through various adoption events, around 130 dogs have been adopted. Our last event was in February. It saw a large number of people coming forward.”
Dona notes there are a few impulsive decision-makers too, who return the adopted puppies after a few days. “But we have been able to find a permanent home for them, too,” she adds.
Why indies make sense
Pet lover and activist Tanja Delna Fernandez agrees. Her Instagram page (@friendsofindies) is filled with puppies and kittens for adoption. Since a young age, she has been taking care of dogs, from foreign breeds to indie ones.
“There is a marked difference. You don’t need to spend money or much time to care for indie breeds,” she smiles, pointing to her own two ‘babies’, Meeka and Raaya.
“They play with each other, run around the yard, and have normal food. They just need baths once a month or every two months.”
Tanja points out that indie breeds have less odour than foreign ones and require fewer baths. “Fewer fleas, fewer skin diseases,” she smiles.
According to her, however, the interest in adopting indie dogs has dipped after the recent ‘scaremongering’.
“When you adopt a dog, you are required to provide them with rabies and multi-component vaccination, which protects them from seven viruses,” she says. “So there is no need to worry. Yet, misinformation and stigma have been discouraging many.”
Arun Raj, secretary of Thiruvananthapuram-based Street Dog Watchers Association, echoes the concern. “There was indeed a positive trend of adoption over the past few years. So many stray dogs found a home thanks to increased awareness. But now, all the efforts seem to be going down the drain,” he says.
Notably, Arun and his team have now bought a 30-cent plot in Nedumangad to set up a sterilisation centre. “That’s our dream project. If more animal lovers turn proactive, the issue of stray dogs can be effectively handled,” he adds.
Misconceptions galore
Animal rights activist Lekshmi C Pillai, who has adopted two indie dogs, says there is a misconception that indie dogs are aggressive and unpredictable. “That’s not true,” she says.
It depends on whether the dog has gone through any trauma. “One of my dogs was a victim of a ruthless machete attack. She doesn’t have one eye, so she appears a bit moody. But actually, she is very loving, calm and lovable. The only thing it takes is time to build that trust — two to two-and-a-half months. After that, if you are a caring and loving home, the dogs also show similar traits,” she says.
Lekshmi says adopting stray dogs was a ‘cool trend’ until recent times. During many adoption drives, she saw youngsters coming and adopting stray puppies, showering them with kisses and treating them like their own children.
“It was wonderful to see that. I hope we return to that mentality. It will reduce the stray population at least a little bit and build awareness about indie dogs. They are good guard dogs, perky, playful and loyal,” she smiles.
Dr Megha agrees. “Well, this Dog Day,” she says, “I hope we will look for a long-term, healthy solution to this ‘dog issue’ rather than resorting to band-aid solutions or extreme decisions. It’s a day to remember and remind that dogs are, at the end of the day, man’s best friend.”