Look! What I found this evening

machadinha

And so the saga continues... Better watch it, if people follow IndiaMike they'll know where to bring those strays...

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Noodle

She's adorable, birds! Again a big thank you that you are taking care of her.

The story is so typical! Get some dogs for the kids to play People don't get it that animals are not toys! Our neighbours here also had a dog, the kids played with him when he was a pup, then he became quite large and nobody wanted to take him on walks, and he was too large for the kids, they could hardly hold him. So he was tied in front of the flat the whole day (4th floor), and locked alone in a room when inside, being bored, barking I was fighting with this woman like mad. She wouldn't listen. One day the dog disappeared, he apparently managed to chew his leash and ran away. If a dog runs away from its owners - that is really bad news. It takes a lot of suffering for a dog to do that.

I hope that owner agrees to letting the parent dogs be neutered.

When will they ever learn?

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If in hole
stop digging.

Indian saying

Nick-H

Oh dear... So tempting...

Sticking to decision; mustn't have dog, dog means can't go away...



Keep up the good work Birds... And Noodle...

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

birds

Nick are you ever going anywhere? It seems you are always on IM?

indiadreamer

A very inspiring thread I must say. Birds- the word is out on your kind heart and love of animals! Thanks for being in the right place at the right time AND saying yes!

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drmr

lotus blossom

but, dog is man's best friend...though i know what you mean. if i hadn't found my daughter a dog friendly place where she could live with our two family dogs, i would'nt have been able to go to india for six months.

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Not all who wander are lost

Nick-H

We nearly had a cat ---sad story, I posted about it somewhere here.

Are we going anywhere? Well, once a year or so, yes! And if it is out of the country, its going to be for a month or so, else it isn't worth going .

gobbledegeek

Is it true that they euthanize amall animals? Didn't imagine an animal rescue would do that ... I'm sorry to hear that. Can you confirm? Where did you learn of this?

birds

I am afraid they do euthanize. In fact, most animal rescue centers around the world do so.

Most centers will try to find adoption houses but there are never enough. They get just too many animals and there are too few people who are willing to take care of these poor things.

In Europe and the US, in many centers all animals which are not adopted are killed. Some estimates say that in the US between 4 to 12 million dogs/cats have to be euthanized yearly, in France 2-4 million, in Italy 6 million and in the UK 20,000.

That is why I become livid if people think they need to breed dogs & cats in India or elsewhere. For every new-born another has to be put down!

A shelter worker wrote an article elaborating on what really happens in shelters. I warn you it is pretty graphic! http://www.petrescue.com.au/informat...s/rehoming/215

In India
While there are no estimates for India, I know that in Goa and Bangalore they daily have to put down around 25 to 35 dogs and cats. Mostly puppies but also healthy adult dogs and cats, including pedigree ones.

But for sure, India is not the worst place by far. Here many stray dog/cats which are neutered are put back on the street and may survive (although they are likely to have a though life, exposed daily to life threatening situations).


WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP

DO NOT BUY OR BREED ANIMALS!!!

Just go to the local animal rescue and take your pick. You will have a wide choice: from pups to adults, from strays to full pedigrees.

Also, try to convince people in your neigbourhood to sterilise their dog or cat and not to breed. I have done so many times with success. Many people just do not think or realise what suffering they create. I always invite them to come along to the animal rescue center in morning to see how the pups are euthanized. That normally gets the message across.

It is especially useful to convince so called guardians of strays, that are people who look after a stray dog/cat on the street. These animals (often male) are strong because they get fed regularly and responsible for a large number of pregnancies among the true stray females. As these females tend be very protective about their pups they do not often approach people and as such as difficult to catch.

In India most local animal rescue centers will come to collect the animal for free and will also spay it without cost (although donations are of course welcome). So there is no excuse for people not to do it once they are informed.

If even you manage to convince one person, you will help to prevent unnecessary killing.

see also:
http://www.actionagainstpoisoning.co...uthanasia.html
http://www.peta.org/feat-overpopulation_crisis.asp
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...yed-cats_N.htm
http://www.doghause.com/spaymoreinfo.asp
http://www.kids4research.org/publica...ks/2_front.pdf

Sama

you can also read this blog

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BE THE REVOLUTION

robotvoice

He plans his holiday based around the localities of internet cafes, I'm sure.

Wife: Honey, let's go scuba diving this year.

Nick: Do they have underwater computers down there?

Nick-H

I can't swim .

I was offline for nearly two weeks when we moved house, and may be away next month.

DO NOT BUY OR BREED ANIMALS!!!

I just wanted to repeat that. Take kittens, for example: there are two ways to get a kitten (in London at least).

One is to go to a pet shop and buy one. The all too-common result of this is that, after a few weeks of expensive vet's bills, it dies, poor creature.

The other is to ask around, including your local vet clinics, and within hours you'll find someone with kittens to give away, or someone who has rescued one from the street.

Of course, there are those that buy expensive pedegree animals, from [sometimes] reputable breeders. Whilst I can't really argue with that, I still ask: what's wrong with a moggie? It'll be just as good a friend!

gobbledegeek

I'm sorry to hear about this. I thought pet shelters were sort of happy homes for the abandoned. I will be more careful going forward.

Thanks for the update.
Regards

Nick-H

Some are. But none have limitless resources, so the ones that have a no-euthanasia policy just have to stop taking animals when they fill up.

birds

I am happy you asked about it. Many people are not aware that dropping an animal at a shelter is as good as a dead sentence, especially for the following animals:

Any sick, weak or old animal of any age
Reason: Notice that many shelters write they will not kill a healthy animal but shelters do not often have the resources to take care of sick or weak animals. Even if they could be saved with just a few medicines, there is generally no money for it so they get euthanized quickly.

Pups or kittens below 2 months
Reason: Shelters are breeding grounds for all kinds of nasty bacteria and viruses and as all young animals tend to be put together in one cage, they infect each other quickly and tend to die within a week.

Any dog considered 'aggressive' like Dobermans, Rottweilers, Pittbulls, Boxers, German Sheppard, etc. above the age of 5 months.
Reason: while some people want these type of dogs, they will rarely get them from shelters, especially not the older dog as they nearly always think they would be better at training these type of dogs than anybody else. Unfortunately, it is not easy to train these type of dogs and it often gets out of hand, resulting in either very, very aggressive animals, very, very subdued of afraid dogs because they are so scared to be punished again by the ‘trainer’ or dogs with bowed-legs because they have been tied up for too long. These type of cases tend to end up in shelters and so unlikely to be adopted that they nearly always euthanized. In almost every Indian animal shelter near a upper-middle class or middle class area, get cases like these on a weekly basis.

Long haired dogs and cat, in India typical Pommerians, sometimes Spaniels, occasionally Persian cats
Reason: People take these dogs because they look so beautiful, especially when they are small and cute. However to keep the long hair beautiful requires a lot of care and often one of two scenarios follows: 1. the dog is shampooed so often it get skin problems so ends up looking no longer beautiful, or 2. as it grows up the dog gets less and less care so all the hairs stick together and they will look no longer beautiful either. Both cases often get dropped at a shelter.

Designer dogs gone out of fashion
Reason: Obviously there is a new fad. When is the pug bull (used in the Hutch adverts) going to end up in the shelters? Once out of fashion nobody wants them anymore and certainly not from a shelter.

Large breeds above the age of three months
Reason: people do not have sufficient space

Black dogs of any age
Reason: superstition

Ugly animals above the age of 2 months
Reason: not cute

The animals which are beautiful, ideally in one colour but not black, healthy, young and playful are the ones which have a small chance on adoption. But as there are too few adoption houses, many of them also have to be put down.

Note that no-kill shelters are very well aware of the above and tend to take in mostly adoptable animals. (This is not a critism but a sad fact).

Instead of dropping the animal at a shelter, try to find a home yourself. Even if you do not know anybody, you will be surprised how many reactions you will get by just putting a small ad in the local newspaper at a cost of around Rs.50 to 100 only.

When you are thinking about taking an animal take in consideration the following:

How much time do you have to give to the animal. Even if you work and have just a little time you can take a pet but chose well; some animals require more time (like pups, kittens) than others (older, especially older strays, are happy to just have a save place).

Is there an area nearby where you dog can run. Even if you life in the city without open spaces you can have a pet but take a smaller dog or cat which requires less space or an older or handicapped animal which requires less exercise.

While people tend to ignore older dogs and cats, they can make great pets as they tend to require less attention, are already toilet trained (or will learn very quickly in a day or 3) and are often exceptionally loyal.

Similarly, many people only want pedigree dogs but a stray is more sensible. Strays tend to be healthier because they are hardy and not overbred with all kinds of inherited ills (like weak hips, bad knees, cherry eyes, skin problems, respiratory problems, allergies, etc.) which tend to surface later in life increasing vet bills tremendously (another reason why animals get dropped at shelters).

Also, animal welfare organizations in India are finding more and more cases of pedigree pups which look like they come from puppy farms. There is not much written about the India specific cases but you can find some more information on the below links. If you see how the situation is in Europe and the US, you do not even want think about what it will be like in India. To avoid such suffering get a stray pup.

(see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_mill
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/informat.../puppyfarming/
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hopeuk/ir...ampaigns.ht m