Message from Mumbai to all Animal Lovers in India

Some girls and me (not me as in Hannah/Rohini/Moni, but a girl in Mumbai called Charlotta) started by just feeding the dogs on our road, biscuits, dogfood or any leftover food that would otherwise end up in the garbage. By feeding them they have become very friendly towards us and humans in general, so it becomes that much more easy to handle them. With the help of IDA (In defence of animals) we then make sure they get vaccinated and neutered. Sometimes the dogs trust us so much that we can throw biscuits in the backseat of the car and they will jump inside, and then we can drive them to the centre ourselves. With more reserved dogs we call the people from IDA and while we are feeding the dogs these guys sneak up from behind and throw this "lasso" around their necks and take them to the centre in their own animal ambulance. Once the dog is neutered they drop it back to the exact same place where they caught it.


You will know if a dog is already neutered by looking at their ears. Once the vets neuter a dog they cut a piece of the top of one ear as a sign that the dog is already neutered.


The same thing we do when we find injured animals, catch them and make sure they get to IDA where they are taken care of for free.


Another thing we have done is that we have cemented ceramic pots around our area and asked the staff at different places to fill them up every day so that the dogs have access to clean water. Nissan showroom for example has been very helpful and they let us use their waterpipes for everything! (But the ceramic pots have to be cemented into the ground, otherwise you will find that they get stolen immediately.) People in our area have been surprisingly helpful, and the dogs immediately started using these, it has been really successful!


So you don't need to join any organization to work with the strays, you can just start by feeding 3-4 dogs outside your house and take it from there. Later call an animal welfare NGO and they will come and help you with everything else. Reason why I asked you where you live was to know what NGOs work in your area. The closest IDA shelter is in Deonar if I am not mistaken, so I don't know if they come all the way to Khar/Andheri to pick up dogs. You would have to call them and ask. "Animals Matter to Me, Mumbai" should have a place in Andheri East, so that might be a good option for you.


If you don't personally want to keep feeding dogs and doing all the practical work you can always donate money. The vet at IDA is working for free, so we don't pay for any services but we do give them donations. You can also donate old newspapers to IDA, and material that NGOs can use for building kennels... so basically if you have something lying around in your house that you think could be used as a "bird cage" etc you can always donate it to "Animals Matter to Me" :)


I must say it is quite nice to have a pack of dogs joining me everytime I go for a walk, so if you don't benefit in any other way atleast you will get some new friends! And to know that they are neutered and vaccinated against rabies makes it even better!


So that is pretty much how we do it, none of us is part of any NGO, we are just working as a group of individuals and call the NGO when we need them. So we work as per our own comfort and timings and don't commit to anything. Some private vets (like Dr. Cheriar in Thane for example) also neuter straydogs for free, or for a minimal fee, so there will always be a way to get it done if you are able to catch a dog from the road! Most important thing is to gain their trust to be able to touch them. Every dog counts, since they can have a litter of 7 pups every 6-12 months!


Hope this was helpful.. here's some contact info below:


Animals Matter to Me:
Mr Ganesh Nayak
            +(91)-9819380310 , 9892929777
http://www.amtmmumbai.org/  
B/601, Blue Meadows, Shyam Nagar, Jogeshwari Link Road, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400069


IDA website:


http://www.idaindia.org/


And finally my friend Shrikants number. If you find a seriously injured animal anywhere, please call him and he will put you in touch with someone who can help or personally come. He is very sincere in his efforts to help all animals:


Shrikant: 98209 47943


Have a good day and see you around!
-Charlotta