Dog Shelter for Strays . This page is now moved to Doggysthan

12/09/2021

Dear Dog Lovers.

Scarcely a day goes by, without me getting a request to take in a dog, rescue a pup or take care of an invalid dog. This costs money. I am now managing with my own funds and from a few select donors to keep the show going. People are even willing to pay for rescue and sponsoring dogs. I am very happy to hear that. But it is high time to take this further. l will not be satisfied with a mere commitment to sponsor. Yes, we need that. But it is time to think of Volunteering. Can you work here as a Volunteer without any pay, be available on-demand to work with the dogs, clean them, groom them, feed them, manage Vendors and the books? It is a full days job.

Then I will oblige with your request. Please be a responsible citizen. I am calling on you to proove, that you are a dog lover. Respond to me positively. I will meet you more than halfway.

12/03/2021

23/07/2020

Recent pictures from DOGGYSTHAN

28/06/2020

13/05/2020

25/05/2019

We have 11 dogs now. All strays picked off the streets as pups, dewormed, de-liced, vaccinated and neutered. If any one wishes to contribute to their cause, please connect by sending a message.

05/09/2018

Doggysthan is up and running. We are now six months old.
We have just taken in two more puppers. Both ladies, they are called Choco and Panda. Choco is bigger and also the silent one. Panda is the smaller one. But wail she can! She can bring a whole house down through her incessant wailing.

With this population is now eight.

Goonda is still the leader, the alpha male, CEO, Commander in Chief, President, Prime Minister, Emperor for Life, General Secretary of the Polit Bureau, Head of the Party High Command, Supreme Leader and Don Tutti Fruti all rolled into one.

He is benevolent but brooks no dissent. His powerful Jaws can snap a bone or two if the Juniors stray out of line.

Among the Juniors snapping at his heels for all the positions referred above is a pupper called Greek. Greek is a cunning little fellow. Greek's speciality is holes which he digs in various place to rest his butt in. He calls them Holes for his ass. According to him, all other holes especially those who dig them are As****es.

Greek is training hard to be the Alpha. He eats all his food as soon as he gets them, and sneaks behind others to eat their rations. He instigates dissent at meal time and during the chaos that follows, he is seen neatly tucking away at someone else’s share. The Chaos he creates a lot of stress among the natives of Doggysthan. For, during this period, each mutt has to necessarily re-establish the painstakingly created pecking order, which by itself was created, time-tested and back tested over a long timeframe. A reiteration of this process, brings to the fore old wounds, suppressed egos, forgotten anxieties and hidden insecurities of the mutts.

His Holiness the Greek usually eats up most of the food and goes out with aplomb, to relieve himself luxuriously.

Relieving themselves in an open yard, without any supervision or training in toilet etiquette by itself is a gory sight, replete with various emotions. The mutts go about this routine nonchalantly and to hell with those who look. If they constipate, they howl and somehow it works. They are not particularly proud of their output except for Solo, who s**ts a whole log, which looks impossible for a dog of his size. The mutts promptly go and inspect the output of the other mutts. These investigations reveal if their fellow mutts have exceeded their rations and if they have eaten anything different or perhaps even go so far as to steal treats from the store.

Treats given by visitors if thrown and hits the ground, goes to the Greek. He is quick, agile and smart. So all the other Dogs are stepping up their catching practice like assiduous cricketers practising for the first slip position. For if, the treats hit the ground, Greek has it.

One of the best catchers in the brood, is Rowdy the matriarch. Having sired the lot, she is also tired of the lot. She is small and sleek and cute and adorable. In two whole years she has adapted well to the art of survival. Her first lesson to all who are keen on learning from her is to keep pesky lil puppers at a safe distance. Kids, according to her are immature and are a pain in the wrong place. Pups these days have no manners. All this convent education and Gurukulam coaching are a waste of time. All the kids need to know is their place in the pecking order and not kiss their moms after cleaning their bum especially after taking a s**t. Thank you Sir, for that! She would add. She is a well-mannered lady. Convent Educated, that she is.

But Catch she can. Keep your eye on the treat she says as she effortlessly snatches one more treat from midair! She is a slip fielder!

More on the others on the other side!

07/06/2018

100 days have passed since Doggystan started. It is has been an enjoyable roller coaster. The mutts tear anything they get into shreds. However, they met their match in a tough little monkey wrench left behind by an errant plumber. It left the spanner with severe trauma though. However, all is well. The mutts have huge appetites. They feast on meat, rice, fish eggs and finger millet. They get their dose of multi-minerals and vitamins. They demonstrate their appreciation by pooping all over the place.

Doggysthan is not just about dogs. It is also about sustainable farming. We grow fruit trees. Mangoes, coconuts, gooseberries, Jackfruits, cheeku, Guavas, breadfruit, Jamun rose apples, Tamarind and tissue culture Bananas and Teak. There are about 80 trees of various kinds within the half acre campus.

Soon we intend to add Ginger, Potato, Turmeric, Sweet Potato, Garlic, and Onions.

There is a Compost station which generates farm yard manure all year around.

Rainwater harvesting is done on the farm. Local farmers grow Jowar and Finger millet which they share with us.

The weather nowadays is cool, breezy and rainy and the dogs enjoy the rain and sprinting along the slush and getting muddy. They hate baths though.

We will keep all our friends posted frequently.

Rgds

Chief Human

27/04/2018

“There are a lot of Stray Dogs in my residential Area. They pose a serious threat. We have repeatedly requested the Government officials, but they have ignored us! What to do?

This is a common refrain. Usually, well-educated people, who have responsible jobs and who live normal lives, ask me this question.

There is a saying “God Helps those who helps themselves”.
The Government is not God. I think we all agree on that. So there is a need to help ourselves.

You see Dogs are pack animals. If ignored and left un-domesticated, they tend to form packs and they become urban predators. Anything that moves is either seen as a threat or a prey, depending majorly on size. The need of the hour is to pay attention to them and domesticate them. Remember the Pack is dangerous. Among Humans we call pack behavior as it ‘Mob Frenzy’. When it comes to dogs, and they come as a pack, they can easily take down a Human or two.

Domesticate does not mean, that you take them home, adopt them, house train them etc. You can adopt them in their natural environment. Which means feeding them and tending to them wherever they live. If fed regularly, the majority of the dogs will respond positively with acknowledgment and affection. When they don’t, it is basically due to the maltreatment that they have received in the hands of the humans. They will eventually learn to differentiate between those who have an intention to hurt and those who will leave them alone.

Do not give eye contact. Wearing a hoodie or dark glasses can trigger anxiety in them. Look away and cross the road. Ignoring a stray gives the dog some amount of comfort. They may then very well leave you alone. Well at least most of the time.

Leave food in one place where they usually congregate. Never run after leaving food or even when seeing a stray dog or dogs. Never shout or scream. If you stay and stand your ground, they may back off.

Now, after a few weeks of regular feeding, it becomes a habit. The mutts will wait for you. Some will go as far as wagging their tail. Don’t get too friendly.

During this period, get hold of an Organization such as SPCA or CUPA or PETA and arrange a day’s health camp for the dogs. Under their expert supervision, sedate the dogs through their food. Capture the more susceptible ones, and get them vaccinated, dewormed and sterilized.

Soon their numbers will come down.

All this needs dedication and time. However, this is the most humane way of dealing with dogs. Dog catchers employed by the Government do not love dogs or their jobs. They ill-treat the mutts. They use very harsh treatment. They kill dogs like you drink coffee or eat an ice cream. This can be traumatic for you or small children if you see these guys in action.

Localities have communities. They need to come together and face the menace. However, do not chase the dogs off to another locality. Dogs are fiercely territorial. So they will be back. Ala Arnold Schwarzenegger.

One more very critical suggestion. Euthanasia! Put the older and sick ones to sleep. It is far better than seeing them die off in the streets. Even the puppies, if they do not find a home, needs to be dealt with this way. Many people may not like these suggestions. But letting a puppy grow un-domesticated, growing up as a member of a pack, is going to be a problem for the future. For 6 months down the line, he or she is the one who is going to chase you or bite small children.

A stitch in time saves nine.

19/03/2018

Doggysthan is now up and running. We have only six dogs now. Quite a lot of strays in the area. We need to test the waters locally before attempting to help them. We need to know the challenges and familiarize ourselves with the teething issues before jumping the gun.

As of now, the six inmates are enjoying themselves.

The Half acre plot received good rainfall. A drainage system has been set up and the borewell is being recharged. While there is tremendous interest to get free water, the local citizens are not too interested in the dogs nor the mission.

The idea is to adopt a few more dogs, take the mutt population to around 15 to 20, later also set up a food station for the local strays and educate the people about the importance of vaccinations and sterilizations.

Right now we are not looking at seeking funds from anyone. This process is cumbersome and sometimes it can become detrimental to the mission itself. Nor are we looking to sell stuff and pass it off as Dog Food or medicines.

However, it could evolve into a shelter for other dogs when owners plan to leave town for a few days. Need to see how that will work.

We have added Poultry to our repertoire of Animals. They are local breeds and the hens are breeding. Hope they will sustain the demand for eggs for the mutts. We have a no-kill policy as far as the birds are concerned. I feel that mutts too have in-principle agreed to this policy and we need to see how long the truce will hold.

More updates and photographs on the way.