It happens only in India

A few months back, in Mumbai, a van belonging to a certain ABC program centre in Vasai, was caught red handed. They were throwing recently-operated dogs from their running vehicle only to have them crushed under the wheels of the oncoming traffic. Outrageous? It happens in India.

A certain doctor, who has been appointed by the BMC to operate on stray dogs, is known to take the money against each surgery without following it up by caring properly for the animals. A good number of animals under his care also end up going missing—they are not returned to the place they are taken from . Unacceptable? It happens in India.

I myself have seen 2-3 cases of dogs been dumped in my locality with their ears newly cropped(means after operation somebody left them). Their sutures had not healed completely and we had to apply antibiotics everyday.

Out of the 2 dogs, one female had a gaping surgical wound, but unfortunately I could not care for her as she had strayed from my locality (no wonder, itwas not her area at all!). What will you say about this BMC intervention in streilising dogs? I feel they do not want dogs in the city at all!

This belief has been cemented by a haunting incident that I experienced 4 years back:

We had sent 8 dogs for sterilisation, 7 returned by weekend, one female’s sutures had not healed so she was held back. One of the male dogs that were returned to us, seemed to be disoriented as soon as he was let out of the van.

The next day we got a call from a lady who used to feed him. She said he was not eating at all. What was more worrying was that he was bleeding from his teeth. We called our vet for advice, and he asked us to check for wounds in the mouth. However, we felt that there was something amiss.

So we took him to the BMC clinic at Khar. On the way, the dog started to salivate profusely. By the time we reached, the rickshaw floor was wet with his saliva.

We held him down in the compound. When the BMC wardboy saw him, he exclaimed: “Madam, he seems to be a rabid case?” We were shocked! But his words came true as the dog started
to behave wildly!

It was all chaos, as many dog owners were seated there with their dogs. Somehow we caught the dog, and tied his mouth. The vet confirmed the diagnosis, and asked us to call BMC to take him away.

The focus of the story lies here: My mother went to BMC office just across the road from my house to register a complaint. They referred the case to the Bandra dog control centre called ‘Dharamshala’. It was 4.30 pm, and the man from other side said, “Office hours are over, bring the dog tomorrow.”

WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A RABID DOG OVERNGHT? THE VET AT BMC KHAR ASKED US TO TAKE THE DOG AWAY AS IT WAS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

My sister was on the verge of tears, when one volunteer came forward. He requested the vet to euthanize the dog then and there. My sister bought the injections and the vet administered. The dog passed away peacefully.

But we were at bay again: What do we do with his body? Once again, that voulnteer helped us. He took the body to Bandra ground, paid 2 workers to dig a pothole, and buried the dog. My sister returned at 7pm. Pathetic? It happens in India.

This is a guest post by Dr. Manik Godbole from Mumbai. Dr. Godbole is a well known INDogs rights activist, and a frequent participant in various INDog related forums.

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