Tag a doggo friend

Volunteers check tags on strays

Brown fur, a heart-shaped spot on the back, and responds to the given name". We have all come across similarly worded posts like this one every time a caretaker finds themselves in the unfortunate realisation that their furry stray friend is lost. While credit is due for the effort, such ambiguous descriptions might not be the best way to identify these voiceless creatures. Akshay Ridlan, founder, Pawfriend.in aims to solve this with scannable ID cards that he calls ‘Aadhar cards for animals.' This summer, Ridlan is offering a unique camp for youngsters who wish to bring about a change for the better.

A stray wears the QR-coded tag collar

"Young kids and teenagers have a soft spot for stray animals. I can see that they want to help them, but don't find enough avenues to make a lasting impact," shares Ridlan, adding that with academic vacations around the corner, the camp will introduce youth from ages seven to 25 to the process of tagging. "Tagging a stray dog or cat with a unique code helps us add them to our centralised repository that holds information like identification, health stats, and caretaker details," he reveals, adding that this information comes in handy not only in identification but also to study the distribution of stray population in a region.

Akshay Ridlan

The workshop begins with a session on how to approach a stray animal and build a friendly rapport. "Stray animals can be reactionary, especially if you approach them out of nowhere. We will guide the participants in the right body language and measures before we head out," Ridlan shares. After successfully tagging more than 5,000 stray animals since their conception in 2023, the founder shares that the camp will aim to drive the numbers up with the help of a network of animal care organisations spread across the city and its suburbs. "Above all, what I'm looking forward to the most is introducing the young helpers to values like compassion and empathy towards animals," he concludes.

On: April 15 onwards
Log on to: @pawfriend.in
Call: 9004320426 (to register)