How volunteering can help stray dogs.

An initiative to Show your kindness to pets.

If you have ever explored the roads of India even for a few hours you are very likely to make two observations, one there are way too many potholes around and two there are an alarming amount of stray dogs which inhabit the areas nearby these roads. What do these dogs eat? Do they sleep in the cold? Are they ill and suffering?  Everyone must have thought about these questions at least once in their lives but the answers are often very sad and gloomy, yet this also means there is opportunity to make a change and help. An effective way to do so is through volunteering, it is the way to change the gloomy answers into hopeful ones.

Stray dogs are often mistaken as dangerous, disease carrying creatures but in many cases these dogs need a helping hand from others to aid them in surviving. Yet there are very few opportunities for these stray dogs to receive help as many people are reluctant to approach these dogs due to their misconceptions. In such circumstances volunteers who willingly take out time to address such issues help make huge changes to various aspects of a stray dog’s life. 

There are many major problems that stray dogs face daily which can be mitigated to some extent by volunteering, one of them is lack of food or clean water. While it is not possible to feed all the stray dogs branded dog food or well prepared meals, it is feasible to serve the leftovers from household food to the dogs given that substances which are harmful for dogs are kept away. Not only does this help the stray dogs fill their stomachs but also deals with the food wastage problem in many households by utilizing the leftovers in a fruitful way. 

Another one of such problems is medical care. It is true that many street dogs are disease ridden but in many cases these diseases are curable given the proper medical attention in time. Additionally this problem is not only limited to diseases but also injuries from territorial disputes or human caused cruelty. In these situations it is critical for the dog to be properly diagnosed by a vet or the injury could cause further suffering from the dog and sadly maybe even fatal. Volunteering for this cause can possibly save many stray lives and help prevent contagious diseases from spreading to other animals in the vicinity. 

It is a sad reality that stray dogs are often seen through the same lens as pests are seen, this is largely due to the fact that the stray dog population is very large and many of them wander around not knowing if they are trespassing or disturbing others. What results from this is human cruelty towards the dogs, who choose to injure or even poison them in order to get rid of them. Volunteering to take action against animal cruelty could certainly save some of these helpless dogs to live longer lives and not die such painful deaths, furthermore raising awareness about stray dogs and why they should be protected is another goal which is achievable for volunteers that can devote less time but still want to make an impact.

Talking about the stray dog population, it is clear that if stray dogs keep reproducing unregulated, eventually the task of helping them all will become overwhelming. In fact, given there are 35-40 million stray dogs already in India, the goal is already out of reach. Furthermore one female stray dog who has not been neutered can birth about 67, 000 dogs over 6 years!! Hence is it important to control the stray dog population through non abusive means like spaying dogs. There are various existing organizations such as Help Animals India which are working towards this goal and need volunteers to help them achieve it. 

Volunteering may seem like a monumental task to many as it requires time and dedication, yet it is important to consider that the goal being worked towards is equally monumental with many lives depending on the kindness and efforts of people who are willing to lend a hand.

We at iVolunteer Delhi runs a campaign across India and encourage people and volunteer to show their empathy and kindness to pets by visiting near by Animal shelter home or feeding the street dongs to accelerate their prospect for adoption. Many volunteer volunteers wholeheartedly volunteered with empathy for this cause.

Glimpses of #Show your kindness to pets Campaign