Adopt a pet

Shreyasi Thakur

New Delhi-based Tajinder Singh was going through a bad phase in life. The solace humans could not provide he wanted to find in the animal world. He wanted to get an animal friend. Why not adopt one who could also do with some succour, a friend suggested. “I had my reservations adopting a stray,” he confesses. But the moment he saw Pixie, he was bowled over. The little pup’s unconditional love provided him all the support he needed to face the world.

‘Every dog has his day’ may be a popular cliché. But, the truth is far from it. A number of dogs, especially stray ones, actually die a dog’s death. “Many times people have dumped dogs in gunny bags outside our (animal protection) centres. Due to the trauma these animals go through, they become defensive and agressive,” says Shilpa Chaudhary, assistant to PFA chairperson. For animals like these, pet adoption has come as a ray of hope.

“Most of the animals up for adoption are either newborn pups of street dogs, or those who are injured and in need of immediate attention or those who have been abandoned by their owners.

“We have had pet owners coming to us with many reasons like shifting abroad, those health issues and even this that their kids were concentrating more on pets than studies. Whether these reasons are genuine or not, for these pet, adoption opens up a possibility of a more welcoming home,” says Priya Grover of In Defence of Animals.

And, it’s a win-win situation for all involved in the process. The animal is rehabilitated. The NGOs/shelters, too, fulfil their purpose. Because despite good intentions, most of these centres are in need of resources and can’t give exclusive attention to each animal.

Thanks to centres like these even disabled animals stand a chance of finding a good home. For Mumbai-based Geet Srivastav little Teeny was a birthday gift from his wife Supriya. Teeny came minus a paw, but unloaded a bundle of pluses for the couple. “Her disability was overshadowed by her joyous nature. She has made us more responsible.”

Shivani Sharma of New Delhi said adopting Bruno has made her all the more compassionate towards animals. "I started feeding other dogs of my locality, who now sleep outside my home." She recommends adopting a stray dog as not many people come forward for the cause and prefer buying a pedigreed dog instead.

Like these people, many have opened up to adopting pets, most desired ones being dogs. The best part is that if you’re adopting from animal shelters/NGOs, you don’t have to pay a penny. Just fill up a form, and in some cases, go through some little checks. Shipra Singhal, Adoption Counsellor, Dogspot.in, says, “We make sure all members of the family are willing to accept the pet with open arms. We also do house checks. Sterilisation is a must so as to ensure these dogs do not fall in wrong hands, for breeding purposes.”

At the weekly stall of People For Animals in a popular mall of Delhi, “there are six to 10 adoptions every week”.

However, a major concern is that people hesitate in opting for Indian dogs. “These foreign-breed dogs, anybody can go and buy these. The question is which dog needs you more!” says Dr Kulpratibha, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Rohtak, who has three dogs, two whom she found on streets and the third one was adopted from the PFA stall. Indian dogs are more sturdy and low on maintenance. They don’t have special needs and are acclimatised to Indian weather.

Though dogs are the most preferred animals, some people like to adopt cats, too. However, the success rate is much less. “I would put the percentage ratio of adoption of dog to cat/rabbit/other animals at 80 to 20,” says Shipra Singhal, adoption counsellor, Dogspot.in.

Cows, too, find their share of sponsors, perhaps because of religious reasons. Wrestler Sangram Singh recently advocated cow adoption saying these have been worshipped for ages but it was sad that people were no longer keeping cows at home or contributing for the cause.

However, if you fancy a Royal Bengal Tiger, there is an option for that too. Despite their love for animals, many people may not find it practical to keep a pet at home. For them, there is an option of sponsoring an animal. Besides in shelters, the option is available at zoos across the country. So, it’s not uncommon to have tigers, lions, elephants, bears, chimpanzees, zebras and even birds adopted at zoos across the country.

In an age when people are becoming more and more calculative, one needs to sit back and put some thought into where he is investing his compassion in. Shouldn’t it go where it is needed the most? Adopt, rescue an animal.