More and more pedigree dogs are being abandoned on the streets of Delhi and Mumbai — their masters either finding their homes too small to accommodate.
High maintenance canines being abandoned by owners in Delhi and Mumbai
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: From pampered pooch to pathetic discard in the blink of an eye. More and more pedigree dogs are being abandoned on the streets of Delhi and Mumbai — their masters either finding their homes too small to accommodate the canines or not having enough resources to support them.
Every year 100 fully grown pedigree dogs are abandoned on the streets of Delhi. At least four abandoned high-bred canines find their way to the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) Hospital at Parel every month. And, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA-India) gets at least six rescue calls for abandoned dogs every month in Mumbai.
“Owners come in fancy cars asking us to admit their dogs to hospital. They give us fictitious names, addresses and telephone numbers and we fail to trace them later,” says Colonel JC Khanna, secretary of BSPCA. Last year, BSPCA received at least 50 such abandoned dogs, including German shepherds, Dalmatians, Pomeranians and Labradors, Khanna said.
Says Cara Tejpal of NGO Friendicoes that looks after abandoned dogs in the national capital: “Adopting a pedigree dog is a status symbol but people don’t know how to look after them. Every week we find two to three dogs at our gate,” she added.
Used to the comforts of plush homes and affection of their masters, Tejpal says these pets — Labradors, Bulldogs, Spitz, Doberman and Alsatians — find it difficult to survive in animal homes and often die.
According to animal activist Rekha Vyas, “People treat animals as soft toys. First they buy them at high prices to boast about them and then dump them like old toys.”
“It costs about Rs3,000 a month to feed a pet. People find it difficult to spare the money for a longer period and prefer abandoning the animal,” Vyas added.
Adds Khanna, “Sometimes animals start biting people or cause damage in the house. At other times, pet owners bring in sick animals. The treatment is long and costly and they don’t want to spend on it.”
BSPCA officials say people also abandon unwanted pups they receive as gifts. “Or, when the pup grows up and demands more space and food, the owner has no other way but to dump it,” said Khanna.
“In Mumbai, Juhu beach seems to be a favourite spot for abandoning old ailing pedigreed dogs,” says Jayasimha NG, the coordinator of Campaign and Legal Affairs, PETA.
According to Jayasimha, some breeders pass off pups of lesser pedigree as high-bred dogs. “When the owners find out the truth, they simply abandon the animal,” Jayasimha adds.
PETA volunteers found an abandoned 12-year-old Lhasa Apso at the beach last week, he said. “Shelters are not the best place to keep old dogs. So one of our volunteers adopted the dog,” he said.
At least one will not land on the streets.
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