Phulkari volunteers launch drive to adopt street dogs

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 1

PhulkariCAN, the philanthropic wing of Phulkari WOA, on Thursday conducted an Indies adoption drive in collaboration with The People For Animals, Amritsar, here. Inviting passers-by and interested people to adopt Indies, a dog breed native to India and mostly living as stray street dogs, volunteers from Phulkari also facilitated documentation work required for adoption.

The drive was part of a larger campaign by Phulkari CAN called Humanity for Animals launched in collaboration with the NGO, Oh My Dog, which works to help dogs on the streets. Phulkari president Deepa Swani said, “Our campaign aims to address the problem of stray dogs in a humane manner. We sensitised the public to their plight on the streets and the benefits of adopting stray and abandoned dogs as pets over buying pets. This would not only save them from suffering but reduce their numbers on the streets, thereby reducing the problem.”

Phulkari CAN president Nidhi Sindhwani added, “We also encouraged people to co-exist with them on the streets with kindness. Citizens’ fears and misgivings about stray dogs were answered by leading animal welfare organisations and individuals to change their mindsets. We encouraged neutering as a humane solution to reducing their numbers.”

Ambika Shukla, animal rights activist and sister of Maneka Gandhi, who supported the campaign, also addressed the drive. The Humanity for Animals campaign is also supported by cricketer Kapil Dev and Punjabi film actress Wamiqa Gabbi.