Welfare for Stray Dogs 2018-19
The Welfare for Stray Dogs is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping stray dogs in their every day lives by sterilizing them, treating their injuries and illnesses, and putting them up for adoption. In order to aid Welfare for Stray Dogs in their noble cause we (the year 11 students of DAIS) visit the NGO on a weekly basis and help in the character training process of the dogs in order to make them more adoptable. This involves feeding, bathing, and walking the dogs, in order to make them get used to interacting with humans. Many of the dogs there have been injured by people, and are aggressive because they are afraid. So, we play with them (using baby-steps and different techniques based on each dog's comfort with humans) to regain their trusts, and make them more “adoptable”, in the hopes of increasing their chances to lead a better life. Moreover, simply playing with the dogs is fun, because even the most injured are incredibly sweet and lovable.
WSD is home to street-dogs of all ages, and even a large number of cuddly cats and cuddly kittens. Surprisingly, you can find a few “pure-breed” puppies there as well. Our aim is to spread our mantra – “Adopt, don't shop”. The same slogan hung at our stall in the 2019 CAS Fete at DAIS. We had an array of cute merchandise, balloons, posters, and a 'tug-or-fall' rope game. If you did buy some puppy-powered merch or played our game, thank you- You contributed to the 37,890 rupees that we raised to help fund WSD and improve the lives of many strays!
India has around 30 million stray dogs (and had 20,000 reported human deaths from rabies in 2014). Of these stray dogs, almost 100,000 live in Mumbai! Due to this, a number of problems have arisen in our city, including public health and animal welfare issues. Especially during the monsoon season, street-animals can face various health issues, considering their lack of shelter. Till 1994, the government resorted to "masskilling" as a method of solving these problems. The BMC used to to kill up to 50,000 dogs per year, but this cruel practice did not solve the problem. As students, we believe that it is possible to use more ethical and efficient alternatives as has been demonstrated by WSD.
One of the problems we must understand while trying to find solutions is the common misconceptions people have about stray dogs. The threat of rabies and the unknown often incites fear in many, causing them to treat stray dogs with caution, and sometimes animosity. While caution is warranted, indeed, lurking in the shadows or small newspaper columns, there have been and still are, several horrific cases of unwarranted mutilation of innocent dogs by humans. We, the students volunteering at WSD, have witnessed in person, how life on the road (in Mumbai) really toughens up these street-dogs, whether it is from fending for themselves for food, fearful people, or even surviving speeding cars. But, we also have proof that they are worthy of love, and are willing to love as well- which is why our team is working towards making a “myth-busting” video, to spread awareness about preconceived notions that people have about street-dogs, and how wonderful they really are. After all, a dog is a man's best friend.