Lending a helping hand to furry friends on streets

Divya Sharma
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 9

To ensure stray dogs have a shelter in the true sense of the word, some good samaritans are offering shelter, food, medication and the facility of adoption of these dogs to help the city come to terms with the stray menace.

A non-government organisation (NGO), Voice of Animals, led by Nidhi Adlakha, an animal lover, is keen on taking care of the stray and injured dogs.

It was the pain of ill-treatment of street dogs, injured animals and lack of immediate care that forced animal lovers such as Jasmeet Singh, Manavdeep Singh, Nirdosh Arora, Sofiya Sharma and Ashima to come up with a common platform.

“We would notice dogs being ill–treated and the injured ones being left on the roads. Lack of a proper platform in the city to facilitate immediate help for them has brought us together. I have opened my home for my friends on the streets. They keep sitting in my house,I feed them and enjoy living with them,” said Nidhi Adlakha, president of the NGO.

The NGO, just a year old, has 85 members as of now. Some of them have also adopted stray dogs in their localities. These volunteers have allowed dogs to take shelter inside their homes, feed them and also ensure a regular health check-up.

“Once, I was trying to save the life of a dog, hit by a car. It died unfortunately, but I resolved to help my furry friends,” said Shilpa, a volunteer.

“There are many dog lovers residing in various localities. But there is no awareness about stray dogs in terms of medication and institutions to contact in case of an emergency. We are here to bridge that gap,” said Rahul, a dog catcher in the group. These youngsters are not only focusing on providing comfort and shelter, but also facilitating their adoption through the social media. They wish to cultivate a loving attitude in the masses towards dogs roaming on the streets.