International Dog Day ︱Meet the community dog lovers of Lucknow doing all for their furry buddies

On International Dog Day we connect to a few passionate dog lovers who have been working for community dogs for years and leave no stone unturned to provide their street buddies with the best of food, shelter and medical attention.

Trained to fit in

“I started nine years ago when I realised that if community dogs get a basic training, they become easily acceptable in our society. So, we started collaborating with different societies and pet parents to make it a more understanding place for the street dogs. People beat them up and shoo-off them violently, that’s when our simple training makes the canines a more friendly and harmless. We have trained 600 dogs out of which 60% have been community ones. Though it’s still a long way to go,” says Harsh Raghuvanshi, founder How’z My Dog Training Center.

Feed them the best

Sharing that it’s not easy to be part of the dog’s world, Mauli Mehrotra of The Kind Hour says, “We bring pets home and make them part of our world but in a vice versa situation we just refuse to accept them. We caretakers find it challenging to make the city folks understand that these ‘strays’, are also part of the eco-system. If societies of the city come together a lot can be done — be it feeding them, running sterilisation programs or giving them shelter. We have been able to cover eight to nine areas feeding 200 dogs every day for years now and adding localities to the list.”

It’s matter of love

“I don’t even know but when I become part of their world by just feeding a few in the locality where I reside. Today, I have a community of my canine friends who are now part of my everyday life. But it doesn’t end there, it takes a lot to make people around accept that animals too deserve to live. I have received unconditional love from them and that’s more the reason I am there for them be it feeding them or getting the right medical attention,” shares Kavita Dass, director Institute for Career Studies and an ardent animal lover.