The growing stray dog population has been a major problem in India for decades. According to a recent report from the Times of India, around 35 to 40 million stray dogs roam the streets of the country.
It can cause a wide range of problems like dog bites and the spread of rabies. To help curb these problems, organizations build shelters for dogs or a dog shelter to gather and take care of the animals that are abandoned and neglected.
A dog shelter plays a crucial role in the communities. It aims to provide a location for abused or neglected animals by their owners or pave the way for lost dogs to reunite with their families. These shelters also look for permanent homes for these animals.
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What do Dog Shelters do?
Indian stray dogs do everything that they can to survive the rough conditions on the streets. They would try to live on the scraps of food they will find in the trash bins or wait for people to occasionally give them food. Dog shelters welcome these dogs in their facilities to care for them until they find their permanent homes.
Some of the most important functions of dog shelters include:
Reestablish Lost Connections – Millions of pets get lost or injured and get reunited with their owners through the help of dog shelters. Dogs often get separated from their family after a major disaster. Some dogs run away if they become too frightened or when they experience separation anxiety. When rescued by a dog shelter, the chances to reunite with their fur parents increase significantly.
Build New Relationships – Plenty of human-dog connections develop due to dog shelters. Some people visit these shelters for different reasons, but most of them often find a dog to love. It leads them to meet their new best friend to take home and care for permanently. It also reduces the need to purchase a pet from “puppy mills” and irresponsible mass breeders.
Reduce Overpopulation – Dog shelters always implement aggressive spay and neuter campaigns in their area. All the animals brought to their facilities are spayed or neutered to stop them from reproducing. They also offer more affordable spay and neuter procedures to any pet parent who could not afford the expensive rates in veterinary clinics.
Improves Pet Health – Animal shelters often lead the way to boost pet health in all communities by offering exceptional veterinary care for the dogs in the shelter. They also have an extensive network of veterinarians who can take care of the adopted pets. They also educate the public about how to keep their animals healthy and happy at all times.
Bring Pets And Communities Together – Dog shelters host various events from time to time to bring people and their pets together. Some sponsor pet parades or pet fun runs in local dog parks, where people and their pets can spend time with other fur families. These events aim to raise awareness about animal welfare and establish a stronger bond within the community.
Save More Animal Lives – Despite the passing of a law in India that makes stray dog killings illegal in the country, reports still reveal that animal killing remains on the rise. With the help of dog shelters, more stray dogs are given a chance to live a full life without any danger of getting killed. Most of these shelters also claim to be no-kill sanctuaries that protect the lives of every animal that they rescue.
Who Are The People Behind Dog Shelters?
Dog shelters have regular staff that takes care of each animal in the facilities. The team is often composed of a resident veterinarian who takes care of the dogs’ health all the time. The facilities also have several caretakers who will attend to the needs of the animals.
Aside from the shelter’s staff, a dog shelter also accepts volunteers to help take care of the animals. The volunteers can help in various tasks like bathing the dog, walking the dog for exercise, and giving them plenty of hugs and belly rubs to make them feel loved all the time.
Why Are Shelters Necessary?
Without dog shelters, India’s stray dog population may increase significantly in the coming years. It will become a major problem for the government and the community since stray dogs may result in health and sanitation problems.
Animal shelters can also pave the way to increase the number of pet adoptions. It will help lessen the number of unloved and neglected dogs in the streets while curbing the sales of people running abusive puppy mills. With the presence of dog shelters, more dogs will have greater chances of finding their forever family.
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