Work carried out to-date
We would like to share with you some of the work that K9Lives has carried out and hope you will enjoy reading them.
Healing Sathi (Shelter)
K9Lives has been actively supporting Healing Sathi, a registered Trust and a Non-Profit organisation founded in 2020 providing financial and advisory support for their work. We have continued to assist them by way of helping them clear some of their larger expenses and have continued funding towards work being undertaken at the new shelter which is ongoing. With your donations they will be able to construct the additional buildings that are urgently required and help more animals who are in desperate need.
It is the first shelter in Dheradun for disabled animals with a ‘No kill’ policy. Dheradun is the capital of the Indian state of Utttarakhand near the Himalayan foothills. Within a short span of around three years of its operation, over 400 animals have been rescued and treated, be it on site or in the shelter before releasing them back. Healing Sathi started from two rooms in 2020 during the start of Covid and recently moved to their new shelter which is spread over 1 acre of land. They receive between 15 to 20 rescue calls daily and presently have over a 100 dogs and cats being cared for by a team of 8 dedicated staff. Many of the rescues that come in are serious and will require surgery or in some cases amputations. Those that are less serious will be treated at the shelter by the resident Paravet. With this comes the additional financial pressure on their medical bills. The shelter is wholly reliant upon donations and the virtual adoption of their permanent residents.
We are privileged to watch the ongoing transformation of these once broken spirited dogs, driving our enthusiasm to continue the fight against the cruelty and ignorance of the streets.
Our second story takes us to a Community Member, Mr Thapa.
With attitudes changing towards the importance of sterilisation, albeit very slow, gives us hope and reaffirms our belief. One such story is about a community member, Mr Thapa who met the HSI team while they were releasing a dog back to its original location after the surgery. He showed interest in their work and their programmes after learning about the great work already achieved. He invited them to his area where he showed the team some of the female dogs that had been having regular litters. Losing their puppies due to accidents was a painful experience for the dogs and some of the community members. He wanted to ensure that it did not happen again and helped the team to round them up. When the surgeries were performed, one was found with a dead foetus in her uterus, which could have become life threatening for the dog; the HSI/India veterinarians performed the surgery successfully and she went on to make a full recovery. They released the dogs back into the care of the gentleman who has become a supporter of the work and is educating other residents of his community. With the education programmes that HSI run along with the sterilisation, we hope more people will come forward.
Tia – a rescue dog
Our second story takes us to Bangalore. Tia is of a mixed breed and had already been abandoned once by her irresponsible owners. The couple who took her in threw her out on the streets when she became pregnant. Due to their financial constraints, K9Lives stepped in and paid for her sterilisation and vaccinations in the hope that they would take her in and provide her a forever home. She was found wandering the streets. The street dogs are very territorial and there was no way that Tia would have survived. A loving family took her in and Tia is now safe.
Bonny – rescue dog
Our third story takes us back to Bangalore of a pup named Bonny who was born on the streets. A local family had been feeding Bonny’s mother and a number of other community dogs in their street and the surrounding vicinity for a number of years. The life of the street dog is difficult and a cruel one; unless they find kind, loving people who have empathy towards them.
Bonny was just a few months old when she wandered onto a building site. One of the workers found Bonny and beat her breaking her stifle joint. The local family got in touch with us and we stepped in to pay the vet bills including her foster care while she recovered. After surgery and the insertion of a metal plate, Bonny was discharged, albeit with a permanent limp, but at least she has mobility and the chance of a fresh life. Once recovered the family took Bonny back to the neighbourhood of her birth, however, the other dogs were no longer friendly towards her. Watching her plight for a week they found Bonny a new loving home and she is now safe and loved.
Community Dogs
K9Lives has also provided financial assistance at ground level where a small number of community dogs have been sterilised.
Due to their ever growing numbers and the hostility showed by some of the locals living in the area, it was clear to us that the next course of action would be to concentrate on getting the street dogs in that vicinity sterilised. With the help from local families and the dog catchers, so far we have achieved the sterilisation of ten female dogs and the programme continues. It is a slow and long process.
The local Animal Birth Control Centres are badly run and unhygienic and for that reason private clinics are used. For us to continue our work, we rely greatly on your contributions, however small it may be, it goes a long way.
Our daily work is clear to see that through your generosity and support we will be able to accomplish our commitment to a worthy cause. Any life saved plays a part in the battle to end the plight of the street dog and with further funding we know we have a model that is scalable to end suffering and bring hope to blighted communities.
We ask you as an animal lover to make a direct and valuable contribution to alleviate the suffering of our natural companions. You can take a valuable step towards the solution to help and protect our canine friends today by donating; either by making a one-off payment or supporting our work by providing a regular monthly donation. In return we will ensure you have news of our progress and offer transparency in the way your precious gift contributes to our shared aims.
It is a deep and saddening problem that there are so many other dogs who are in desperate need of our help and support on the street. The situation in India is so different to our cities and quiet towns – the needs are compelling and the numbers are growing.
We hope the stories have helped you see the tasks at hand and to recognise the difference that your donations will make. Please help spread the word.
