SPCA breeds new life into pedigrees

8220;I am reluctant to offer statistics for the number of pedigreed dogs beingthrown out of their homes because only a small section of them are brought to us,8221; says a gritty hospital Manager Supriya Bose. 8220;Today we have about 8 to 10 of them but this number is not constant.8221;

Of the total number of animals placed in homes over the last four years, 415 were dogs, 35 cats, 14 rabbits, 16 horses, 10 bullocks, 2 buffaloes, 5 sheep, 6 monkeys, 6 piglets, and one white mouse, through advertisements in the weekend edition of The Indian Express, she reveals.

At present, there8217;s an old caramel-coloured Great Dane with skeins of smoke woven into her coat who was found cowering at the airport, five Pomeranians, a choclate-coloured Doberman with a pink nose and an aggressive black cross-breed between an Alsatian and a Doberman among the canines at the SPCA.

8220;Pedigreed dogs are domesticated in the extreme,8221; explains Maazie Dallas, founder of Animal Friends, who visits the SPCA to talk and play with the dogs daily. Once abandoned, they are very insecure and have to also cope with feelings of rejection. They only become aggressive as their insecurity leads to fear and they attack.

Dallas also ferrets out likely homes for many of them. Her current project is to find a home for the 11-year-old Great Dane, aptly named Beauty. 8220;It8217;s really hard to find a family who will take these dogs in as most people would rather get a puppy. Beauty, for instance, is old. She was found with a tumor in her tummy and is now recuperating.

All domesticated dogs, perhaps more so pedigrees, have a routine. So when they are rehoused, they have to go through the trauma of adjusting afresh, says Dallas.

Explaining why so many pedigrees are abandoned, Bose says most owners are simply not bothered to find viable alternatives for their pets. A drop in salary or imminent migration can lead to abandonment. In some cases, a new bride in the household may express her dislike for the canine and out it goes.

8220;Summer vacations are the worst,8221; Bose says, 8220;when bored children demand pets to keep themseleves occupied. School kicks in and the mother has no time to care for the dog and then the inevitbale happens. This is why the SPCA is inundated with abandoned pets by August. 8220;A dog is not a fluffy bit of teddy bear,8221; she stresses.

The SPCA charges Rs 75 a day for dogs who are admitted to the hospital by private owners but care for strays and abandoned animals is met through donations. However, these are not easy to come by as people are more innto supporting people rather than animals, Bose says.

She adds: 8220;A dog doesn8217;t ask to be taken into your home, when you do, it is your responsiblity to walk with it to the end of the road.8221;