International Dog Day 2023: How this Mumbai NGO is taking care of stray animals

The animal-exclusive ambulance will enable the team to swiftly transport sick or injured dogs, meeting their urgent medical needs

Mumbai has many stray dogs on its streets, which are taken care of by locals. These dogs are adorable but may often be at the receiving end when they get into accidents with vehicles or are hurt by those who fear them. At such times, it may often become a task to treat them ourselves and that is when it is easier to seek help from city-based NGOs working for their welfare. This is especially important when they need immediate medical attention.

Every year, animal lovers around the world celebrate 'International Dog Day' on August 26 to raise awareness about the need to adopt dogs, care for them, and help them in times of need. In India, stray dogs are a very common sight, but are unfortunately not welcome by all, and thus tend to hurt them as we have seen over the last few years. It is at such times that they need help. Keeping this in mind, Global Payments, a payments technology company has tied up with Awaaz - Voice of Stray Animals, one of the NGOs that people reach out to in Mumbai for stray dogs and animals. They have sponsored an animal-exclusive ambulance and veterinary service to aid them in helping stray animals that need treatment.

In a chat with mid-day.com, Krishnaraja Tantri, vice president (South & Southeast Asia), Global Payments, shares, "Stray dogs do not receive proper human care, and suffer from food deprivation, hygiene issues and contagious diseases. Without proper human guidance, they get hit by moving vehicles, and in retaliation, they bite pedestrians or bikers. This situation deepens the misconception between humans and the little paws." While changing the mindset of people may take time, the ambulance, which is scheduled to be operational from next week will help people reach out in times of need.

Initiatives to help stray dogs and other animals
In the past, the payments technology company has collaborated to address the issue of stray dog overpopulation by sterilising them to curb their population. Apart from aiming to cater to injured or sick dogs, they will also be helping other stray furry animals like cats, rabbits, and birds in times of need. So, it wasn't long before they recognised the need to treat animals quickly, as they need attention just as fast as human beings do. Tantri says the introduction of an ambulance service has become imperative in a city like Mumbai, which has a large stray dog population. "This vital addition enables us to swiftly transport sick or injured dogs, meeting their urgent medical needs," he adds. Amit Pathak, founder of Awaaz - Voice of Stray Animals, says people can reach out for help on their centralised number +91 79000 94345. "We are also quite active on social media and many people reach our team through this medium," he shares.

Started in 2017, Pathak including his seven-member team has been providing their services actively in the western suburbs of Mumbai. In the process, they have helped over 10,000 stray dogs since then through their different initiatives and one of the most popular ones is that of the reflective collar. He shares, "We have collared more than 500 dogs till now. A few collars have also been handed over to animal lovers and feeders. The collars were put on dogs covering Santacruz East, Andheri, Goregaon, Jogeshwari, Malad, and Kandivali too. We have collars in stock, and we distribute to people at large on request."

While the reflective collars have been helpful, especially when it turns dark, and the dogs are roaming the streets, one must realise that it is also important to stop when they see stray animals so that they don't get injured. While there are some who hit and run, there are other concerned dog and animal lovers, who not only believe in stopping but also raising awareness about it. To support such people, the Awaaz team even started a campaign called ‘I Brake for Paws' to inculcate safe driving habits in people. "We distributed stickers all over India and many animal lovers reached out to us to get more of such stickers. It was a simple campaign to spread awareness about safe driving. We are planning to ramp up this project. We have also created a mascot ‘Pinki' and will be using her voice to create awareness."