A life-transforming workshop that will empower parents to educate their kids about “Sex” and “Sexuality”, in a developmentally and age-appropriate manner.
Kids are gullible, innocent and vulnerable; and thus, like animals that we are JAAGRUTI have long stood up and spoken up for, we are now stepping into the domain of launching Awareness workshops targetted at Parents.
These workshops are part of our new endeavour to do profitable, meaningful work that makes a difference.
If our Children are to be prevented from being victims to sexual predators and pedophiles, parents need to play a proactive role!
Our Workshops are 2-3 hours long.
They are PAID workshops, priced between Rs.1500-2500/- per participant depending upon the group size.
They are designed to be delivered offline to parents/adults, in a group setting at an Institutional level.
Why Offline? Because it’s a sensitive topic and requires confidentiality and privacy for participants.
These workshops will cover factual, psychological and legal aspects, with a high dose of compassion.
Please help spread the word by REPOSTING this information on your Networks.
Cooperative Housing Societies(CHS) and Resident Welfare Associations(RWA) spreading fake news saying that dogs and cats can cause COVID is a violation of the Disaster Management Act 2005.
Strict action will be taken against such misinformation by the Government of India.
Please take note and share with societies who are spreading misinformation about animals spreading #COVID19.
Details of how to and whom to complain are shared in the images below.
Animals don’t spread or get #coronavirus. We humans do.
Don’t be a #COVIDIOT. Don’t spread misinformation, it’s is not only irresponsible but also a criminal offence.
Please do file a formal complaint if a CHS/RWA or member of such CHS/RWA does not desist from spreading false information even after your warning and sharing facts.
Globally, over 17 lakh people have been infected with COVID-19, whereas, there have been only 4 isolated and rare cases of animals that have tested positive for COVID. Experts suggest that these animals got it from their positive pet parents with whom these animals were living.
NO cases in India whatsoever, and NO evidence GLOBALLY to prove that animals spread it. Instead, there is more than enough evidence to prove that humans spread the virus to other fellow humans and that is precisely why we are in a lockdown, animals are not.
So, if at all anyone has to be scared, it’s the animals who should be scared of us and not the other way round.
You are way more safe with an animal than with an unknown human.
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (abbreviated as ‘MHA’) on 25th March, 2020 has issued an addendum (meaning “add-on”) to its guidelines issued on 24th March 2020, asking Veterinary Hospitals and pharmacies to remain operational during the lockdown, which includes private Veterinary Clinics, too. This is part of the Government’s effective action step to prevent animals from suffering without medical aid.
P.S: Para C(f) and Para D of the Addendum under the signature of Union Home Secretary Government of India, are really good, providing scope for Wildlife Vets and Animal Husbandry Department Vets serving for domestic and companion animals.
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This addendum comes on the same day as the PM’s request to the nation, to be “Compassionate Citizens” & feed the hungry, both the poor humans and neighbourhood animals. The video can be watched below –
Private Animal Ambulances are working hard even during Lockdown in the City of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
They are here to help animals in distressed situations, they are for Small Pets and Street Animals, and are paid services: some of them may voluntarily subsidize their rates for ferrying street animals to pet clinics or animal hospitals; and beinging them back. Caretakers of these animals are expected to accompany their animals.
These Private Animal Ambulance services are working day and night for rescues and emergency cases.
Please feel free to call them on the below mentioned numbers, however, BE PATIENT, RESPECTFUL and DECENT with them, everyone is trying to do the best they can in these times –
Prime Minister Modi urged fellow Indians to show the spirit of “Compassion” to ovetcome the threat of Coronavirus in the country. He said this while he was interacting with the people of his Lok Sabha constituency — Varanasi — via video conference on Wednesday, 25th March 2020.“Whoever has the capability, take the pledge to take care of 9 families for 21 days. It will be a true ‘Navratri’. Due to the lockdown, animals are also facing trouble. I appeal to the people to take care of the animals around them,” said Prime Minister Modi. (Read the full article here).
By saying what he has today, PM Modi has only reiterated the importance of being a Compassionate Citizen of the Country, which is a Fundamental duty of every Indian Citizen as per the Indian Constitution, as well.
Please watch full video of his address below. He says the above between 25 minutes to 26.30 minutes in his address🙏
Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding.
Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.
Sharing the same below for ready reference:
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News Article in ‘The Print’ dated 23rd March by Journalist Sanya Dhingra (Please scroll below for relevant images, that you can download, print and keep handy, while you feed/look after animals in need and street animals in general. This is the time to show humanity, kindness and compassion to all living beings)
The Narendra Modi government has told all states to ensure that medical help for animals is treated as an essential service, which does not get suspended during COVID-19 lockdowns across the country.
While several states announced lockdowns Sunday in a bid to arrest the spread of the deadly disease in India, they did not include veterinary services in the list of essential services that would be exempt under it.
In a letter addressed to all chief secretaries dated 23rd March, the Centre said, “It is requested that veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the state, including private veterinary clinics, veterinary pathologies, animal shelters etc. function in the normal course and the veterinary services be considered in the list of ‘Essential Services’.”
The letter, written by the joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu said, “It is necessary to ensure continuous emergency services in the animal husbandry and veterinary sector, especially in emergent animal health issues situations.
“These May include but are not restricted to, emergency services like disease diagnosis and treatment, monitoring of any emergency livestock and poultry diseases, immediate disease reporting, etc.”
However, the government has urged veterinarians and other related officials to ensure strict personal hygiene and avoid public gatherings.
‘Animals and birds should not suffer during lockdown’
On the same day, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) wrote another letter to all states emphasising that all law enforcement agencies ensure that animals and birds do not suffer due to hunger during the lockdown due to COVID-19.
Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding. Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.
“This is a valuable service consistently provided by compassionate individuals and the absence of it may cause a large number of animals and birds to suffer and die and carcasses of the dead animals and birds may further spread different diseases amongst community which will be difficult to control,” Dr O.P. Chaudhary, Director of the AWBI has written.
Meanwhile Delhi Government has issued the following order as well.
“The situation is quite alarming,” BJP MP Maneka Gandhi said. “In some places, food is being stopped…No animal grains and chara is being allowed to come to Haryana from UP. Even pedigree from Hyderabad is being stopped by Mumbai,” she said.
“Animals and birds cannot be allowed to starve in the country in this manner.”
Senior BJP Leader and Member of Parliament, Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that “The coronavirus is not transmitted through live animals.” Please scroll below to watch a news clipping, on this subject.
She has also issued a letter on her letterhead earlier today on 23rd March 2020, which is shared below-
All Animal care takers and Feeders can keep this letter by Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, Honourable Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha, Government of India) handy in case they are stopped by authorities while feeding community animals.
Share this letter with your RWA’s and nearest Police Station.
Please take a print out of this letter, if possible or save it on your phone, and keep it handy when you are stepping out for an animal rescue or to feed them.
A humble request to all, be kind towards animals:
Please make two extra Chapatis/Rotis daily in your home for street dogs/Cows and other stray animals who will have no means of feeding themselves since all the Restaurants/Dhabas/Food Carts are closed now due to coronavirus lockdown.
Most of the stray animals survive on leftover food provided by Hotel/Dhaba staff. These animals will starve to death in case of a prolonged lockdown. You can handover these breads to your society/ Apartment staff to be kept outside for animals. Spread the message to all the people in your circle.
Let’s all give it a try, and share this message so more and more people can do the good deed of feeding streer animals in these trying times.
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Mrs. Maneka Gandhi addresses the Media to bust myths.
While addressing the press, Maneka Gandhi said, “It has brought in the notice that the government department and several insurance agencies are creating a false panic in the coronavirus through issuing false advisories.”
She said, “These agencies are taking out the advisories on the Coronavirus, which are not confirmed by the health department by saying that nobody should go to live animals.”
“This is completely false and misleading… As the health department of India has said that the animal does not have coronavirus and cannot transmit the virus,” she said.
Adding to the statement, Maneka said, “I would advise the Ministry of Electronics, Insurance companies, and the ministry of railways not to run fake ads on this.”
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Government of India, has written to the chief secretaries of all State governments and Union Territories to ensure the well-being of pet animals amid the Corona virus threat.
In a circular, AWBI Chairman Mr. O. P Chaudhary said that, “It was brought to the notice of the Board that the animal owners are depriving their pets of proper food, water or shelter due to the increasing threat of the virus.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clarified that dogs and cats are not involved in spreading infection in the current episode of coronavirus infection. “The Board has already issued an advisory to the State government sand UTs to see that the stray animals are taken care of by the local bodies as it their responsibility,” Chaudhary said.
Hence, the AWBI chief has requested the governments to create awareness about animal welfare and advise them against abandoning their pets.
Even fimstars, like Arjun Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Kriti Sanon, Mini Mathur and many more kind hearts, are urging their fans and followers on their Instagram feeds to continue feeding street animals, more so now, when eateries, their primary source of scavenging for food, are shut.
In coronavirus crisis, lessons for us, writes President Ram Nath Kovind – in The Hindustan Times, dated March 20, 2020
“Respect Nature
*Humankind’s craving to control nature and exploit all its resources for profit can be wiped out in a stroke by an organism we cannot even see with the naked eye.*
*Let us remind ourselves that our ancestors saw nature as our mother, and asked us to respect it. At some point in history, we forgot ancient wisdom. When pandemics and abnormal weather phenomena are becoming the norm, it is time to pause and wonder where we lost the way, and how we can still make a comeback.*
*Inter-dependency is also something we tend to overlook in normal times. In my speeches, I have often referred to the Sanskrit dictum, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means the whole world is but a family. Today, it turns out to be truer than ever before. We realise how deeply each one of us is connected with everybody else. We are as safe as we take care of safety of others, not only of human beings but also of plants and animals.*
Important message for stray animal feeders/caregivers in the light of complete lockdown announced by state governments of Maharashtra, Delhi and several other states to prevent further spread of COVID-19:
Please understand that there is a difference between lockdown and curfew.
Lockdown means that offices, shops, malls, certain government offices, public transport etc shall remain shut, emergency services will function and essential commodities will continue to be available.
During curfew, it is advised that people shouldn’t step out unless there’s an emergency.
However, during a lockdown, you may do what is essential and unavoidable, for instance – feed strays that you have been tending to. Nobody can stop you from feeding strays responsibly. Remember, you are merely discharging your constitutional duty of being a responsible citizen as mandated by Article 51(A)(g) of the Constitution of India by looking after animals and showing compassion towards them. Imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code means gathering of more than 5 people is prohibited. For feeding/medicating, it’s generally only one person and probably one more to help/assist. You are not in violation of any law if you do it responsibly.
Please do not panic, there is no reason to.
If any police officer or civic body official approaches, questions or asks you not to feed animals, to begin with, POLITELY explain to them what the law says, that you do it responsibly without causing nuisance to anybody, and that it is not illegal to feed strays, on the other hand it is illegal to prevent people from responsibly feed stray.
If that doesn’t work, only then get an animal activist, NGO or an Animal Welfare Officer involved.
First you should do the talking by trying to reason out, explaining common sense stuff like animals cannot survive on the roads without food, especially when they are used to getting fed by you.
“There is no greater heroism than motherhood. All hail down to these mothers out there”.
A Cow’s Milk is for their calves, much like human breast milk is meant for the human child we give birth to. And it’s only mothers milk that a child really needs.
But, little do we “humans” realise what these Moms go through, every year, throughout their life.
It doesn’t end with the cows, think of the calves which are starved off their mothers milk and male calves are just left to die or sold to the leather industry for their ‘Veal‘
Be it New Year’s Day or Mother’s Day, think about these Moms who can’t speak as they live in an unimaginable life of suffering.
There are alternatives to Cow’s Milk available in the market these days and better still, like, you can make milk with soaked almonds and nuts, much healthier and with no cruelty inflicted upon these moms!
Last week, thanks to the initiative of the Principal of D.A.V Public School, RK Puram, Mrs. Sanjana Dutta, we were invited to conduct an Awareness Workshop on ‘Compassionate Citizenship’ for students of Class 4th and 5th. Our objective while conducting such awareness workshops is to inculcate within these young students, who are at such an impressionable age, empathy and respect for all living beings and the resources, Mother Earth offers us. These kids, learnt how they could go about caring for animals on the street, in the wild, about being sensitive towards our lifestyle choices and the Environment we co-inhabit with all other species, in our day to day lives.
One student, stood up at the end and asked me, “Mam, we will do all this but how will other understand it?”, my answer was, “They will understand it through YOU. This wave of compassion will spread through all of you.
That’s how this works. That’s how kindness spreads”.If you want such workshops to be conducted in your School, kindly email us at contact@jaagruti.org.
Holi, the “Festival of Colours” is around the corner. As you play around and enjoy getting drenched in colours, please be mindful that the same may be very torturous and harassing for street animals.
A few things to remember and teach kids and adults, alike:
1. Be sensitive, empathetic and understanding, these colours are toxic and harmful for all.
The coloured powders that are used during the festival are made with synthetic chemicals, which contain toxic metals or dyes that can cause skin allergies, rashes or even blindness in people and animals.
Animals can easily inhale the powder, which can cause nasal irritation and respiratory allergies or infections.
If an animal gets the powder in his or her eyes, quickly flush them out with clean water.
2. Teach children not to throw colours or water balloons at animals: Kids may or may not realise that this frightens and hurts animals and if animals react in self-defence then it’s you as a parent who has failed, but to shove yourself of that blame, you will blame the that animal. Why do this? Better would be to teach your child to be compassionate and kind towards these voiceless animals.
After all, kindness to animals will make this world a better place to live in.
Its chilly and cold today in North of India. Its raining too…open the gates of your verandah, hearts and home to give temporary shelter to these voiceless animals. Place a piece of rug, jute sack, old blanket for a bedding.
The gesture will warm them up as well as your heart & soul.
Be human. Be kind. The world will become a better place this way!
Snake Charmers know very well how to make money by exploiting belief. It’s upto us to rid ourselves of superstitions and pity!
The traumatic life of a Snake held captive!
They don’t drink milk naturally rather they are forced ro drink it by keeping them deprived of water and thirsty, for being reptiles, they only want water
Fangs and teeth are broken resulting in an infected mouth. The infection soon spreads to the other parts of the body
Milk is usually vomited out as Snakes can’t digest it
Stitched mouth
Cobras are caught several weeks before the festival of Nagpanchami or generally for street entertainment or by Sages/Sadhus who roam around in saffron robes, conning pilgrims and innocent people!
The mouths of these Cobras are stitched, fangs and teeth are broken, they are locked up in dark, unhygenic baskets for several days, they are offered no food or water, haldi, kumkum and other irritants are sprinkled on them, forced to drink fluids (milk) that they can not digest (they vomit it out!), they are roughed up and tortured to show their hoods at each and every devotee’s house.
How much more can these reptiles handle? They really can’t and suffer a slow, agonizing death.
Take action – if you spot a snake charmer, firstly never pay & encourage them, inform the local Forest Department, NGOs working for snakes/wildlife conservation and even the nearest Police Station.
Spread this message to as many as possible and let’s save these reptiles together.
Photos used in this Article are kind courtesy of “Friends of Snakes Society“
Kite flying is done with fun and fervour across India on the occasion of Makar Sankranti/Uttarayan festival and on India’s Republic Day and Independence Day cebrations held in the month of January and August, respectively.
Every year, thousands of birds across India lose their wings and their lives due to injuries caused by the glass-coated kite flying maanja/string, used for flying kites and in kite flying competitions. These are usually Made in China and are preferred over the traditional Indian cotton thread string/”saddi”, as they are sharp and help cut the other person’s kite string and help people win bets, games and kite-flying competitions.
What people don’t realise is that their moment of pleasure and entertainment is blood-sucking! As heads, wings or claws of birds are mutilated by maanja, once entangled in it. Birds die of excessive blood loss or are crippled for life.
Please let us not entertain ourselves at the cost of these lives.
Not only does this glass-coated manja hatm animals and birds, it has also fatally harmed kids, adults and bikers.
Flying kites with manja is definitely no fun for families who lose their loved ones or for birds who become entangled and fatally injured in the deadly glass-coated string.
Manja is deadly to thousands of pigeons, crows, owls and other birds who get entangled in it. The birds’ wings are often severed, dooming the animals to an agonising death.
Even after the kite flying festivals are over, these manjas which remain entangled on electricity poles or tree branches, continue to entrap them.
Water is crucial to every living being’s survival on this Planet, be it plants, animals, birds, insects, fishes….every ‘living’ being needs it.
The Animal Water Bowl Project is thus worth including In Your ‘Yearly’ Resolution List.
You can pledge or encourage your kids to pledge that, “Everyday I will provide safe drinking water to all the animals at my place”.
Not only will it inculcate a feeling of responsibility and compassion, but also give great satisfaction when you/your kids actually see thirsty birds, animals and insects quenching their thirst, thanks to the clean water you put out for them daily.
These voiceless innocent beings need safe drinking water too, just like Humans. And, as we humans are responsible for destroying the habitats and rivers, that they relied on, all in the name of development, it is now our responsibility to save their lives by providing the things which are possible rather than ignoring them.
Art by Carolina Mamani (artwork made as per the idea was given by the founder of AWBP INDIA). Artist gave complete rights on this artwork to AWBP INDIA and we at JAAGRUTI give complete credit to AWBP and the Artist for this beautiful piece of Art and the lovely message, that prompted us to share it on our platform to reach and sensitize more people.
Love has no colour, race or species and Kindness to Animals, birds and all lesser beings will only make this world a compassionate and a better place to live in…
While we at JAAGRUTI strongly endorse ‘responsible pet ownership’ and do encourage pet owners to pick the poop up after their dog has done it and help keep the surroundings clean and do it ourselves as well, what these SDMC these office bearers should understand that in a country in-famous for open defecation, is that such a one-sided dictat has to be thought through before being ‘imposed’ lest it gets misused by the Municipality staff and RWA (Resident Welfare Association) office bearers to ‘harass’ pet owners and many street dog caretakers. In any case, with pet abandonment on a rise in big cities, such ill-thought out words coming out someone in as responsible a public position like a Mayor of the Corporation, will only instigate more people to abandon their pets.
Instead through awareness messages, SDMC should encourage environment-friendly messages on the relevance of picking up a pet dog’s poop, not using polythene bags, planting trees, relevance of Street Dog Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination drives etc. What we as a Country and as Indians need is some sensitivity and compassion and Empathy drilled into our minds to encourage responsible citizenship rather than ill-thought of dictats that only offend some and appease some.
In Rishi’s own words, “The following legal notice was sent to the concerned officials. Also the MANY MANY letters that animal lovers wrote to SDMC Mayor had their effect. As of now SDMC cannot implement this law, in the absence of a proper legal procedure. Plus they have not replied to our legal notice and have not defended their stand. Thanks to all the genuine animal lovers who participated in this campaign. If SDMC still goes ahead with this without a legal procedure, then contempt proceedings will be initiated. If anyone comes to know that they are discreetly going ahead then kindly inform us.”
TAKE ACTION:South Delhi people can still keep writing letters to the SDMC Mayor whose address is in the Notice-remember to send your letters registered Via India Post. Keep the Receipt of the Post safe with you.
It is a very self-explanatory notice that touches upon a lot of issues and thus it is important every street dog caretaker as well as Pet owner reads it.
Years that we spend in school are amongst those times when our minds are most ‘impressionable’ i.e. receptive to new facts, new learnings every day. These are also the times when we are much more innocent at heart and can be sensitized into becoming a truly compassionate and kind-hearted individual who thinks beyond himself/herself.
In the Year 2014, CBSE i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (India) had sent an advisory to all its 18,000 affiliated schools across India strongly urging them to implement a policy that bans students and staff members from wearing leather shoes in favour of animal- and Earth-friendly canvas shoes. CBSE proposed this as an “ethical” and “compassionate” way to protect the environment and animals from harm.
For not many kids and adults, or even self-proclaimed ‘vegetarians or vegans’ alike, understand, even in today’s time that leather is nothing but skin of a terrified animal, that was cruelly, painfully inhumanely slaughtered in front of their kin (often dismembered/de-skinned when it is still conscious and breathing) , and they are subjected to this brutality for their meat that you eat and/or the shoes or belts that you are wearing or the bag or wallet you are carrying or showing off!
“[B]uying leather directly contributes to encouraging the growth of factory farms and slaughterhouses …“, says the CBSE advisory. “Leather … shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry as well as the pollution cause by the toxins in tanning.”
Alternative to Leather Shoes in case you are wondering: CANVAS SHOES
The link to the Advisory on CBSE website can be accessed by clicking here, and the screenshots of the Advisory can be read by clicking on Images below (it’s a 2 page circular)
We understand as per information available on the Web that the Indian States of “Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have already moved to ban leather shoes in schools and in Goa, most schools already use canvas shoes”.
Take Action: If your school is amongst one of them that still forces you to wear Leather Shoes, then we request you to take a print out of this advisory and discuss this with the Head of your Schools, for Sir Paul McCartney once rightly said, “”If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. Watch the Movie by clicking here.
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P.S: If you have an inspiring story or anecdote of yours to share with others to spread the wave of kindness around and more sensitivity and understanding on the need to voluntarily oppose the use of Leather goods, then please type it down in the comments section below.
Let’s spread ‘JAAGRUTI’. Let us all Inform.Share.Inspire
Recently there have been several complaints about unethical practices at some dog boardings, of dogs being confined in unaoccupied broken-down buildings, dogs chained to gates and driveways in the hot sun without water and in their own excreta, dogs kept on rooftops with no shade from the summer sun, dogs being returned to pet parents covered in ticks and suffering from high/tick fever and other ailments, of pet parents being billed double the boarding rate agreed on, pets being held hostage, etc. This is not to say there aren’t any good boardings. Of course there are, run by genuine dog lovers. It is your job as a responsible pet parent to figure out which one is right for your dog, if for some unavoidable reason you are forced to use the services of one.
Here are some general guidelines to help you sort the good from the bad. The key is to use your common sense.
First, do some research, don’t go solely on recomendations, and question, question, question! If someone you know has had a good experience at a particular boarding, put that place at the top of your shortlist, but check it out personally anyway before you send your dog there.
Visit the boarding, preferably unannounced, don’t be fooled by the boarding’s self-promotion or the photos you’ve seen – photos can be doctored. If the boarding owner/owners object to the visit, you can be sure they have something to hide. Avoid that boarding.
Does the place smell bad? If it does, go home.
Is it scrupulously clean? If not, go home!
Are there other dog boarders that you can see? If not, then obviously it’s not a good place for your dog. If yes, check their condition. Are they clean, tick free, healthy? Do they look happy? Are the dogs chained? If yes, your dog will be chained too.
Are the dogs protected well from the elements/heat/cold? If not, Leave!
Other than the boarding owners, is there adequate, caring, clean, 24X7 support staff? If there is no other staff, it’s not a good sign.
Ask who will walk, exercise your dog, how many times and where. Check to see if the play/walk area is secure, clean and wholesome.
Do the dogs look scared in the presence of the boarding owners/staff? If they do, they are probably beaten into submission.
Is the place secure, with high boundary walls and gates that a dog cannot jump over?
Is there fresh, clean and plentiful drinking water available to the dogs? Some boardings give their wards very little water because dogs pee after they drink, and the boarding owners don’t want the bother of cleaning up the pee.
Inspect the living space. Is it clean, airy, well ventilated, cool in summer, warm in winter? Is there enough bedding? Is it clean and does it smell fresh?
Question the boarding owners about what, how often and how much their boarders are fed. If possible, inspect the refrigerators for cleanliness and freshness of the food. If there are no refrigerators, the dogs are most likely fed stale food.
Inspect food and water bowls for cleanliness.
Go through the contract, preferably with a lawyer. If it is one-sided and protects only the rights of the boarding owners and does not say anything about the rights of the pet and pet parents, don’t sign.
Make sure you have the boarding rates in writing so that there are no surprises later.
Ask which veterinary clinic is used if, God forbid, a dog falls ill while in the care of the boarding. It is your right to demand vet/path lab bills/receipts for all treatment given to the pet, and daily updates on his/her condition. Also, be sure to keep in constant touch with the vet regarding your dog’s condition and course of treatment.
If you are out of town, ask a friend or family member to occasionally visit your pet at the boarding to make sure all is well. If the boarding objects to this, strike it off your list.
A little forethought will save your dog a lot of pain and distress, and you a thousand regrets.
We are quoting below verbatim from the Facebook post put by, Advocate Ms.Anjali Sharma, so that those who feed street dogs in Delhi and elsewhere can use this information BELOW to counter the misinformation that has spread following recent news reports in Delhi on this subject.
So, please read below, relax and download the Complete order issued by the Delhi High Court below and gear up to counter all the unruly “RWA” members or neighbours who have been fed some fodder by our misreporting Media outlets in the City.
After you have finished reading what we have quoted below, please also read the below links once again.
SO HAS THE DELHI HIGH COURT BANNED STREET DOG FEEDING THROUGH A RECENT ORDER?
OF COURSE NOT. Please read the ACTUAL ORDER which I’m sharing below, & not the trash that some Hindi tabloids have published. The order passed is case specific – involving a case where 2 parties are residing in a common property. One resident objected to the other resident feeding street dogs. He wanted the dogs removed from the area, & wanted their feeding banned. THE COURT HAS NOT DONE THAT. The Court simply said – don’t chain street dogs in the common drive-way of the property in which both parties are residing, don’t feed them there, don’t cause nuisance for the other resident. THATS ALL. This order is in line with the earlier orders passed by the Delhi High Court in 2009 – 2010. Even in those cases, in which I had appeared for the Animal Welfare Board of India, the High Court had emphasised that feeding must be done carefully & in a responsible manner.
– Above text is as quoted by Ms.Anjali Sharma ADVOCATE in her Facebook post on 31st July 2017.
We are quoting below in Hindi, the words of Saurav Gupta, an Animal Welfare activist on this subject so as to calm down the nerves of all of you who communicate in Hindi.
दोस्तों एक भ्रांति और डर आज कुछ पशुप्रेमियों में है जो कुछ कुत्तों को खाना डालते हैं दोस्तों मैं उन्हें आश्वस्त करना चाहता हूँ की ये उच्च न्यायालय का आदेश केवल एक केस में आया है, दो पार्टियों के झगड़े में एक civil-Suit की सुनवाई के दौरान विशेष तौर पर इस एक केस में ये आदेश पारित किया गया है, ये कोई P.I.L या Writ Petition नहीं है जो पूरे दिल्ली में लागू हो ये बस एक केस में एक पार्टी के ख़िलाफ़ आदेश है. कुछ हिंदी अख़बार वाले इस केस में बिना Court Order पढ़े ख़बर लिख रहे हैं और कुत्तों को खाना डालने वाले हमारे पशुप्रेमी उन ख़बरों को पढ़ कर बिना बात के डर रहे हैं.
दोस्तों मैं सप्रीम कोर्ट के एक वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता के साथ हूँ जिनसे मैंने इस ऑर्डर को डिस्कस कर रहा हूँ उनका कहना है कि हमें इस केस में सप्रीम कोर्ट जाने की या परेशान होने की बिलकुल जर्रूरत नहीं है कोर्ट ने कहा है कि driveway में किसी कुत्ते को ना बांधा जाए और स्ट्रीट डॉग को फ़ीड करते समय पब्लिक की सावधानी व साफ़ सफ़ाई का ध्यान रखा जाए,जिसके लिए मालवीय नगर के S.h.o ko भी उचित कार्यवाही के लिए निर्देशित किया गया है।
कोर्ट ने इस ऑर्डर में कहीं नहीं लिखा की स्ट्रीट dogs को खाना ना डाला जाए, कोर्ट ने 2009 से 2011 तक चले उस हाईकोर्ट के केस के आदेशों को ही जारी रखा है जिसमें हाई कोर्ट ने साफ़ तौर पर दिल्ली पुलिस को निर्देशित किया था की स्ट्रीटdogs को फ़ीडिंग करने वालेपशुप्रेमियो की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित की जाए तथा एम॰सी॰डी॰(MCD) को निर्देशित किया था कि स्ट्रीट dogs के फ़ीडिंग point तथा फ़ीडिंग का समय निर्धारित किया जाय। उसी आदेशों को इस आदेश में जारी रखा गया है।। बस इतनी सी बात को बढ़ा चढ़ा कर अख़बारों में छापा जा रहा है।
दोस्तों ये ऑर्डर दिल्ली में किसी भी अन्य केस में मान्य नहीं होगा, इसलिए आप किसी भी पशुप्रेमी को परेशान होने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। जब तक हम लोग बैठे हैं तब तक आपको इस तरह के आदेशों में चिंता करने की बिलकुल ज़रूरत नहीं है.
Chintu, was a ‘Street turned Community Dog’, whom we knew since December 2004. He started living in a building staircase in the colony where I too stay ever since he was wrongly dropped off here post-Sterilization. He must be about a year old then.
A security guard in our colony, gave him that name, “Chintu”. Not one to bark unnecessarily or harm anyone, Chintu soon became popular with the residents of all 8 flats in that building. Someone gave him biscuits, someone milk, and some others gave him roti with milk. His days were spent sun-bathing, with his little tongue strutting out, eyes closed, be it winters or summers.
With the ever so loyal and vigilant ‘Chintu’ around, no robbery ever happened on that street or in the building he inhabited.
Chintu was a bit scared of us though, unlike other street dogs. His reasons were perhaps that we always had dogs from ‘our’ street walking beside us- who never left an opportunity to scare Chintu away!
Nonetheless, we tried to pet him when we could and also did our duty of getting Chintu both his vaccination shots every year ever since he became a resident community dog of our colony, as we do annually with other dogs living on the streets in our colony and neighbourhood areas.
Wonderful 10+ healthy years passed away for Chintu in that building of ‘his’.
As November 2015 approached, a resident of that building stopped us on our morning walk with our dog and said that ‘Chintu’ has been vomiting recently. Since Chintu gets scared seeing us and doesn’t eat from us either, we checked with our Vet and gave the 5 day oral medication to that gentleman- resident of that building to feed Chintu.
Chintu was better, so was the feedback we got. His vomiting had stopped.
As the winters set in, we placed a Jute bori for him on that building staircase and later a piece of blanket too.
Then one day in December 2015, a lady resident of that building ‘interrupted’ our morning walk with our dog, asking us to take Chintu away somewhere as his vomiting is ‘spreading infections’. When we told her that the best we can do is begin his treatment again and that taking him anywhere is not recommended as he is a sensitive dog, much attached to this staircase, which he considers his home, she started another story of how she cares for pigeons!
Anyways, we started his medications again.
That December night as we went to place another bori for him as the winter chill had increased, we noticed to our shock, a printed and pasted sheet on the wall, “instructing residents not to feed the dog as he vomits in the building and is making conditions unlivable and unhealthy”.
The next evening, 23rd December 2015, when I went and met the lady who had pasted this notice, who was a Doctor herself, we requested her to let the residents continue feeding him. How can antibiotics work with an empty stomach, was our reasoning to her.
No food- No vomit was her illogical reasoning.
She was a doctor, after all, we hoped she would understand, but she kept shaking her head in disdain and said, “No, only milk for Chintu, he has anything solid he vomits and I will send him off somewhere”. We tried to tell her not to do this as Chintu is a very sensitive dog, he won’t be able to live one more day if dislocated from ‘his’ building. We even left our number with her. She nodded and took it and we saved her number in our phone too. When I offered her anti-emetic and anti-acidity tablets to give to Chintu in his food, she said, “I have them, don’t need any”.
The next evening 24th December 2015, as we came to get Chintu injected with antibiotics, we noticed the boris and blankets were missing. The lady doctor said ‘Chintu’ keeps shifting his bedding on his own! Really?
Allow us to share that this ‘lady doctor’ goes to the temple religiously every morning with her basket of flowers and other offerings to please the Lord.
As I left for a Training on 25th December 2015 night, we requested the ground floor resident of that building to continue feeding Chintu whatever they could and that I will take him to the Vet once I return. God only knows what fate befell Chintu in those 3 days that I was away. On 28th December 2015, we were alerted to Chintu being dragged down the stairs for being taken away to a hospital, whose ambulance this lady doctor had called. As my brother came and got Chintu out of the ambulance to lift him to our home, the damage was already done. Chintu’s back had been damaged, he was writhing in pain. It was only then the lady doctor had the cheek to call me, never before, she had made up her mind long back to get Chintu off that building of ‘hers’!
I returned back on 29th December morning and rushed Chintu to the Vet while getting his Chest and Abdomen X-rays done along the way and blood samples were given to for his Blood, Kidney and Liver tests.
The Chest X-ray revealed infection in his lungs-not surprised- the winter chill got to him because the so called residents of that building took all his boris and blankets away. His back bone was injured off the trauma and force exerted on him while being dragged down the stairs by those dog catchers in the animal ambulance. He was a step away from being paralysed, so said the Vet. His abdomen was completely empty – pointing out that he was ‘starved’ by the residents of those very building who fed him all these years till he was healthy.
We began his course of treatment at our trusted Vet’s clinic and then got him back home, Chintu’s painful cries never stopped. His vital organs were now also failing him.
His body was paralysed later that night. Chintu had had enough!
He passed away with all of my family around him at 5am on 30th December 2015 morning.
He had crossed over the Rainbow bridge and moved on to a place far away from all illogical Indians.
As we took him to the Crematorium that morning, we stopped by at that building once where Chintu had lived all his life, only to see his boris and food bowls thrown away in the garbage. The residents of that building were perhaps in a tearing hurry to clean up after Chintu was ‘forcefully’ removed by them.
We cremated him with sunrise that morning. We were very sad but glad that Chintu was now in peace, for we knew long back, from these 11 years of observing him, as to how much he loved ‘his’ home i.e. that building, that staircase where he spent all his life.
Old age is not a disease. You, me, every one, every creature who is born on this planet turns old. You would turn old and so would I. Health problems can affect anyone of us too. It doesn’t mean you shun the sick patient off in his old days or days of ill-health. It is in those days that they need your care and affection the most, be it a human, an animal or a bird.
For all the Illogical Indians and residents of that building whom Chintu innocently thought were his well-wishers, but rather they were just his fair-weather friends – we now have just one thing to say, Chintu died not because of being sick, he died of the trauma and starvation YOU ALL inflicted on him in those last few days of his. No amount of going to temples to worship daily will wash away this sin of yours away. Chintu, like all dogs, had a big heart. He may forgive you all, but we sincerely hope someone up above has taken note of all of yours illogical deeds.
A little empathy is all ‘Chintu’ needed and deserved, and he did not get any in his worst hour of need.
Dodo and Chiku are two brave young Indian female dogs adopted as community dogs by Shivani, Priya and their young group of friends in Masjid Moth area of New Delhi! For it was their barking that alerted Shivani and Priya’s family on the midnight of 30th November-1st December 2015 to the presence of a “Bike Thief” on the prowl in their colony. They started barking as the thief tried to use a Master key to steel Priya’s Scooty. As his efforts failed, he tried his hand on another bike parked nearby. Alerted by Dodo and Chiku’s barking, Shivani’s brother confronted the thief and the Police was called over, only to learn that he had just stolen two more bikes that were parked outside the colony gate as he chased his 3rd ‘target vehicle’. Strange as it is, the Police reprimanded this ‘regular’ bike thief and let him go is what we learn. The residents were happy that they got their vehicles back, but no one patted the backs of these two girls, Dodo and Chiku, the unsung heroes whose alert barking alerted their caretakers into taking action against the ‘thief’.
This is how street dogs guard the streets they inhabit. They don’t bark without a reason. Be compassionate towards them, they are on our streets for a reason.
Dodo, Chiku and their Mom, Gauri have all been sterilized and it was our turn at JAAGRUTI to vaccinate them all on 1 December 2015. Along with the three girls, Jetto, the black male dog was also vaccinated. We adore caretakers like Shivani, Priya and their gang of friends who were so respectful of us and grateful of the learnings they have had by reading through the JAAGRUTI blog and they were appreciative of our On-Site First Aid and Vaccination Service for Street Animals/Dogs as well.
The heroic acts of Indian Street Dogs to save their human friends in need are a daily occurrence, some get reported, most don’t!
Earlier this year in August 2015, it was ‘Pingu’, a mute Street Dog residing in Vasant Kunj area of Delhi had prevented burglary and risked his own life in the process.
You can read more about Pingu’s heroics on these links:
“Stray Dog Risks Life To Thwart Burglary”, reports Huffington Post
” A Mute Stray Dog Risks his Own Life to Help the Residents of a Delhi Locality”, reports The Better India
“Stray dog Pingu fights off intruder in Delhi colony”, reports The Times of India
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org and we will get back to you with our requirements.
As explained by Ms. Anjali Sharma, Advocate on her Facebook Page, “This is a very significant order passed by a Division Bench of the H.P. High Court at Shimla – holding that inaccurate (mis)reports of Court orders with a bid to ‘sensationalize’, are tantamount to criminal contempt of court. Contempt notice issued to the reporter, though actually, the editor should be charged with contempt too. .
This order is Significant, because of the slew of mis-reporting around the 18th November order passed in the stray dogs cases by the Supreme Court.
It would be a good idea for anybody witnessing misreporting in cases involving animals to immediately write to the reporter & the editor of the newspaper, & cite this judgment. Because of course, contempt of court will pack a stronger punch than even a complaint under the Press Council Act, which unfortunately provides for fairly tepid consequences.”
The Interim order of the Supreme Court of India passed on the 18th Nov 2015 while hearing ‘all street dog related matters’ emphatically directs that the laws made viz. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 have to be implemented and that there shall not be any indiscriminate killing of dogs. The Supreme Court Order observed that “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and that they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner…”
The Order states- “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner, but indubitably the lives of the human beings are to be saved and one should not suffer due to dog bite because of administrative lapse.”
It further reiterates that, “Rule 6 of the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 enacted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, provides for obligations of the local authority. Rule 7 deals with capturing/sterilisation/ immunisation/release. Rule 8 deals with identification and recording and Rule 9 provides for euthanasia of street dogs. Rule 10 deals with furious or dumb rabid dogs.” and goes on to add that, ” As we find, the local authorities have a sacrosanct duty to provide sufficient number of dog pounds, including animal kennels/shelters, which may be managed by the animal welfare organizations, that apart, it is also incumbent upon the local authorities to provide requisite number of dog vans with ramps for the capture and transportation of street dogs; one driver and two trained dog catchers for each dog van; an ambulance-cum-clinical van as mobile centre for sterlisation and immunisation; incinerators for disposal of carcasses and periodic repair of shelter or pound. Rule 7 has its own significance. The procedure has to be followed before any steps are taken. Rules 9 and 10 take care of the dogs which are desirable to be euthanised.”
To explain to our readers Rule 9 – it means that only mortally wounded or terminally ill dogs i.e.when and only when a dog is unfit for survival/has no chance of recovery/healing which is medically proven by a Government certified Veterinary Doctor and it’s survival causes more pain for it is when u can think of euthanising.
….and then the order hammers home the point, that for now that the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, (for short, ‘the 2001 Rules’) shall prevail over the provisions contained in any local Act/Municipality Act by stating that, “for the present it is suffice to say that all the State municipal corporations, municipal committees, district boards and local bodies shall be guided by the Act and the Rules and it is the duty and obligation of the Animal Welfare Board to see that they are followed with all seriousness. It is also the duty of all the municipal corporations to provide infrastructure as mandated in the statute and the rules. Once that is done, we are disposed to think for the present that a balance between compassion to dogs and the lives of human being, which is appositely called a glorious gift of nature, may harmoniously co-exist.”.
And towards the end of this Interim Order passed by the Honourable Supreme Court of India, instructions are laid out for the Local bodies to follow, “The local authorities shall file affidavits including what kind of infrastructures they have provided, as required under the law. Needless to emphasize, no innovative method or subterfuge should be adopted not to carry out the responsibility under the 1960 Act or the 2001 Rules. Any kind of laxity while carrying out statutory obligations, is not countenanced in law.”
“A copy of the order passed today be sent to the Chief Secretary of each of the States and the competent authority of Union Territories, so that they can follow the same in letter and spirit. We would also request all the High Courts not to pass any order relating to the 1960 Act and the 2001 Rules pertaining to dogs. Needless to say, all concerned as mentioned herein-above, shall carry out this order and file their respective affidavits as directed“…are the concluding lines of this order as the matter gets listed for Final Hearing and Disposal on 9th March 2016.
The Press Release issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India on the above stated order, is shared below.
Most of the times, RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) are antagonistic towards the existence of street dogs but, this time around, we at JAAGRUTI were in for a pleasant surprise as we were requested over for a vaccination drive for young street dogs and pups in this West Punjabi Bagh area based colony in Delhi. What makes it all the more unique was that this Vaccination Drive was sponsored by the RWA as well. In all, 9 pups were vaccinated with a 9-in-one vaccine and dewormed, 2 (namely Dholu and Molu) were given Anti-Rabies Vaccine, this was done with active participation of their caretakers, Mrs. Babita, Mrs. Kavita and Mrs. Meenakshi. From amongst the same, one puppy was also treated for a maggot infested wound, which Ms. Babita, their caretaker was already treating following the steps outlined on our Article to treat Maggot wounds, we helped clean the pus on the wound and injected antibiotics to hasten her recovery.
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org or message us on Facebook and we will get back to you with our requirements. Thank you.
This brown coloured male dog stays at a Police Check Post in Pitampura area of Delhi and thus we named him “Chowki”. We had even got him sterilized and now we were alerted to him having Aural Haematoma in his left ear.
[An aural (ear) haematoma is a collection of blood or serum, and sometimes a blood clot within the pinna or ear flap. This blood collects under the skin and causes the ear flap to become thickened. The swelling may involve the entire ear flap or it may involve only a small area. Aural haematomas usually occur as a result of local irritation to some part of the ear. When something irritates the ear canal, a dog is likely to respond by scratching or shaking the head. Excessive shaking causes blood vessels to break, resulting in bleeding. – Information Source www.vetwest.com.au]
He was constantly shaking his head and walking with a head tilt. Since it was early days yet as we were alerted in time, we chose to drain the pus off through a needle prick, first on the 19th November 2015 (a big burst of pus came out this day) and then on 21st November 2015 (pus was less in comparison to the first day) and injected the antibiotics directly into the ear flap, while putting him on a 5 day antibiotic course. We are glad to report that he is doing fine now :) with no more swelling in his ear and no more head shakes!
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org and we will get back to you with our requirements.
Our Activity Report from 1 April 2015 – 31 October 2015
includes 243 First Aid cases, 35 ABC/Street Dog Sterilization surgeries and 243 vaccinations.
Break up below:
* 35 – Dog Sterilization/Animal Birth Control Surgeries (25 Females + 10 Males) mainly of dogs being looked after by Press-waalahs/dhobis, Rikshaw Pullers, Tea sellers/chaiwaalas and Maali/Gardeners.
* 175 Anti Rabies Vaccinations and 68 Nine-in-one Vaccinations, were administered to Street dogs of which 80% were administered free of cost by us.
* 74 Street Animals treated for Maggot wound infestations (thousands tutored online on how to treat them)
* More than 20 Educational Workshops conducted by us on topics as diverse as Compassion towards Animals, Animal Laws of India, Street Animal First Aid and our Waste Paper Recycling Initiative
* 46 Skin Infection episodes
* 24 Wound and Injury cases
And the others comprise of treating predominantly Street Dogs with Ear and Eye Infections, Gastric Infections, Cough, Deworming, Deticking, Limping/Leg injuries and a single case of treating Vaginal Granuloma.
If you believe in the merit and efficacy of JAAGRUTI’S On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs/Animals, please consider making a #Diwaligiftforanimals by clicking on https://jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti to help us sustain our work.
Thank you :)
Previous Activity Report for those of you who maybe interested:
From 1 May 2014 till 31 March 2015, we have attended to 620 On-site First Aid and Vaccination cases of Street Animals, which includes Street Dogs primarily and also donkeys, cats, cows, horse and a little goat kid!
* Each of the cases we attend to are documented with a treatment sheet and photographs/videos wherever and whenever possible.
We are very proud of our little team’s big effort.
We at JAAGRUTI have perhaps become experts at treating Maggot wound infested Street Animals and teaching others to do likewise :)
Read on…
As part of Jaagruti’s On-Site First Aid Service for Street Animals, from 1st April 2015 till 31st October 2015, we have successfully treated 73 Street Dogs and a Stray Cat for maggot infested wounds, off which all but 5 we couldn’t help heal uptil recovery, as three of them we couldn’t find after few days of treatment and two others died due to old age and Parvovirus infection respectively.
The remaining 69 have all healed, with just a couple of them still being checked on by us daily as their wounds were grave or discovered towards end October 2015); and we have detailed treatment sheets and photos to authenticate our statement and we are extremely proud of our little team’s big efforts!
Most importantly, as part of the way we offer and administer the “Jaagruti On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs/Animals”, we also educate and inform caretakers (if any) of these street animals to do daily dressings and administer oral medication to help heal the animal, after we have done the difficult bit for the initial treatment period. As most of the street dogs we attend to have caretakers belonging to the low-income group BUT big-hearted category, we even give them follow-up medication which they need to administer.
We work and treat ON-SITE, in the animal’s natural environment, in a place they know as their home. We don’t believe in doing “rescues” and sending animals off to shelters for treatments.
Healing is faster and the Animal is comfortable and the Caretaker is educated to treat Maggot wounds this way.
We are happy because we are the “changemakers” that we had set out to be.
Because these caretakers, once empowered through the information at their disposal have also gone onto successfully treat other street animals for maggot wound infestations.
And, our Informative Article titled, “Treating Dogs with Maggot Infestations” penned down by us on the basis of our experiential learnings on our very popular Jaagruti blog (www.jaagruti.org) has now clocked 53,134 hits!
Add to that the many people whom we have guided through WhatsApp, e-mail and Facebook/Phone/blog based consultation to treat their street animals of maggot infestations and we feel super! Even people as far as US and Australia write to us on this subject.
This Diwali, if you want to appreciate our efforts, consider contributing towards our On-site First Aid Service by clicking on https://jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti, as 99.5% of what we do is self-funded because a 2-member team can’t do it all, from posting funding appeals to treating so many animals On-Site. We choose to do the latter instead.
Ever wondered why we started JAAGRUTI, it was to help people care, co-exist or learn to care better for the animals that live on the streets, most commonly, the Indian Street Dog
These street/community dogs are much more than mere ‘dogs’..hear us speak more in the first-half of this Radio Interview I had with students from School of Journalism students at University of Queensland, Australia, who came to India on a Study Tour few weeks back.
The second half of this Radio Interview talks about the alarming issue of Pet abandonment!
We at JAAGRUTI had shared in our earlier posts, how police stations across Naxal infested regions of India have befriended street dogs in their near vicinity to help alert them to naxal attacks and impending danger, and now, we would like to share how these stray dogs are helping Indian army soldiers posted along the LoC (Line of Control) on the country’s high security border posts, foil infiltration bids and giving our soldiers much needed companionship in a hard terrain doing a hard job of protecting us all and our nation. This story was published on the Front page of The Hindustan Times dated 11th October 2015 and reading it made our day and gave vindication to what we have been saying all along, that these sturdy Indian stray dogs if looked after well, treated with compassion, sterilized and vaccinated by local community caretakers, can not only act as wonderful guard dogs but also help spread the spirit of compassion around in this increasing self and selfie-obsessed world; for love is all we and they need actually!
All photos and text are courtesy Journalist Rahul Singh of The Hindustan Times.
We thank HT and Rahul for reporting this heart-warming story, so beautifully.
A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015
They are neither pedigreed dogs nor schooled in specialised tasks, but are finding themselves increasingly in demand along the troubled Line of Control where Indian soldiers have embraced the ubiquitous mutt.
It isn’t a patch on well-trained army dogs used extensively in Jammu and Kashmir for sniffing out explosives, tracking and patrolling — and even bestowed with gallantry awards for their exploits, yet the mutt has arrived.
Commanders at the LoC are being encouraged to ‘adopt’ strays at their posts as the canines have proved to be tremendously effective in providing early warning about the movement of Pakistani infiltrators, says Lieutenant General RR Nimbhorkar, commander of the Nagrota-based 16 corps. It is responsible for guarding a 224-km stretch of the LoC south of the Pir Panjal range.
“They are the best sensors and have helped foil infiltration bids,” he says. Forget the hierarchies in the canine kingdom, the presence of mutts at forward posts provides a break from monotony and dulls the effects of isolation on soldiers to a degree.
A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch sector_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015
A brilliant innovation helped Indian soldiers neutralise the threat of Pakistani army dogs along the LoC some time ago. A senior officer reveals how leopard urine sourced from a zoo was sprinkled along vulnerable points to keep the hostile canines at bay.
At a forward infantry mortar position after nightfall, a two-man HT team is greeted by a pack of sturdy mutts — with dominant features of the Bakharwal breed — growling and baring their teeth, signalling us to stay away.
“They recognise our scents and consider you to be intruders. That’s how they alert us,” says a sentry, standing guard against the backdrop of the LoC fence illuminated by bright LED lights. The lights cast a glow that can be seen from the distant Krishna Ghati heights across Mendhar town, once a hotbed of terrorist activity.
The canines have come to be known as ‘langar dogs’ as they are fed by the army kitchen.
“Angrez” as the guards on this site office of Delhi Metro in Sarvapriya Vihar of Delhi call him is this brown coloured light-eyed boy.
With severe maggot infested wound on his left ear and head region (and two more near his anus and on his inner thigh) was spotted by Vipin’s tenant who then conveyed it to Tonia and Tonia connected with us at JAAGRUTI and we all went there today. He was found sitting behind a steel board in the shade…collectively we leashed and muzzled him to find not 1 but 3 sites filled with maggots on him.
Over two hours we cleaned him up of most of his maggots and then dressed and bandaged him up and placed him in Tonia’s car to send him to a private boarding near Ashram that she had arranged where we will continue treating him.
The cost of the boarding is a tad expensive and we would like some of you to come forward and contribute towards the total expected amount of Rs.15000/- that Tonia would have to incur on the boarding costs and our travel costs from Pitampura to Ashram till he recovers over a month’s time span. His treatment is on us!
Meet ‘Maggie’, this brown coloured male Street dog with a big maggot wound on the upper back region. He is a self-found case like many that we do in Pitampura area of Delhi and thus the responsibility of treating him On-site is entirely on us. While he wasn’t cajoled with food on Day-1 (he was sulking because he had a wound!), his spirits picked up as soon as his wound was clear of maggots and with food to gorge on, he has been letting us treat him every day ever since. It has been over two weeks since we began treating him. We will continue to keep treating him till this horrible humid weather goes away!
Just a footnote: this boy was sterilized by us two years back and we even get him vaccinated annually as part of the vaccination drives we have been doing in this area over the past many years.
We would be able to expand our reach only if people contribute. We have been an entirely self-funded effort thus far and working quietly on the ground since around 6 years now.
Please note: Request you to drop in a mail to contribute@jaagruti.org when you make the RTGS transfer/NEFT transaction with your complete name, address, amount transacted (transaction reference number) and your PAN Card no. so that we can track the same and acknowledge it gratefully. Thanks.
Yesterday, we found a pigeon entangled itself in a kite string (maanjha) left behind on a shrub’s branch in the aftermath of the Kite Flying post the15th August Independence Day celebrations.
These birds normally can be noticed hanging upside down!
We cut the string from above, and then carefully detangled the string to free the bird’s claws and wings and the Pigeon flew away as no damage was done since we noticed her in time.
While you fly kites, the kite strings you leave behind after your entertainment, rob many birds of their flights of freedom. Many are crippled, many more die!
Is flying kites really worth these many lives lost? Think it over.
Last week, thanks to the initiative of the Principal of D.A.V Public School, RK Puram, Mrs. Sanjana Dutta, we were invited to conduct an Awareness Workshop on ‘Compassionate Citizenship’ for students of Class 4th and 5th. Our objective while conducting such awareness workshops is to inculcate within these young students, who are at such an impressionable age, empathy and respect for all living beings and the resources, Mother Earth offers us. These kids, learnt how they could go about caring for animals on the street, in the wild, about being sensitive towards our lifestyle choices and the Environment we co-inhabit with all other species, in our day to day lives.
JAAGRUTI® 