s the joker Charlie Chaplin said- “He who feeds hungry animal, feeds his own soul”, we have a responsibility to help, care and look after the needy and helpless creatures, who depend upon us.
Stray dogs and cats live in harsh conditions but receive bad treatment from people around them. Even a child enjoys hurling a stone on the poor animal. This in return makes the stray hostile and aggressive, because they hardly see luv and care from the humans.
Dogs, like snakes, have sixth sense and from your move, the dogs can predict if a human is going to harm them.
Unfortunately, like monkeys the dogs too (and unlike birds) don’t build their shelters and thus are victims of intensity of weather.
People in order to get the Divine reward, feed birds and ants but shoo away the canines as they consider dogs as filthy, though thrust home cooked chapaties in the mouth of cows and monkeys.
We must understand that these mute animals can’t earn a living on their own and depend upon us humans, for their filling the stomach. And since they don’t get enough food, perforce they have to search food in the garbage and thus live a painful neglected life (thank God, they have a short life of around 15 yrs, unlike the tortoise with a life of 300+ years).
According to the AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) rules, feeding stray dogs is a legally protected activity. In fact, the RWAs can’t prohibit this activity, as it is a validated constitutionally obligation (Art 51(g). Causing harm to the stray dogs attract a penal action under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 as well as under Secs.428 and 429 of the IPC. Even the Delhi H Court has ruled that individuals who adopt/ feed stray animals are doing a great service to humanity.
If now rivers and mountains have been declared as legal living entities, why not these poor stray dogs, who waggle their tails, the moment they see a kind person approaching them. Love begets love.
Compassion for all living creatures, has been philosophy of India- the land of sages. But the modern society has driven animals out of their habitats, for usurping their territory for own selfish reasons.
Luckily, we have a couple of people, who have taken upon themselves not only to feed the strays but also to cater to their medical needs. During my morning walks, I also feed the strays and the birds in a small way. But was impressed with the guards, who despite meager wages, spend a lot of money every day feeding the birds.
Then there is a Messiah in a man, who despite being unemployed, since long, attends to the needs of the strays. He disclosed that in winters, a bitch gave birth to a litter of 4 and the society wanted to throw the pups outside the Colony.
With assistance of another neighbour, a Dr in Pharmaceutical medicine, built a comfortable shelter for the pups, outside the gate and the team feeds the strays twice a day with costly dog food and the lady treats the canine for their medical needs. He treats every dog like a child and it’s a pleasure to watch dogs clinging to their ‘He Mother’.
Surprisingly, I observed that it’s only the ladies who indulge in this compassion activity, but scores of Budhas on their morning walks, only show stick to these orphaned creatures.
The most captivating is to watch a foreigner, a Vietnamese lady, feeding the dogs with large ‘patilas’ of food every morning and has given her own coined names to each of her ‘guests’.
Interacting with her, she revealed that initially, she was very afraid of dogs. But during the COVID, she had to close down her Vietnamese Restaurant in Hauz Khas and saw the pitiable condition of the strays, without food. The pandemic gave her opportunity to serve these God’s creatures.
