Rise in thefts in apartments and dacoits striking at will in colonies make most house owners go in for an elaborate security paraphernalia right from extra-strong locks to latest in the market such as burglar alarms and what not. This is where the animal welfare groups step in and suggest a time-tested security measure — adopting a dog.
Blue Cross of Hyderabad (BCH) is calling upon the apartment blocks to adopt one or two dogs and have them taken care of. In turn, these dogs stay in the apartment and fulfil the security needs. “On offer are healthy and sterile dogs which a residential conglomeration can adopt, and the loyal friends will ensure that the security of the housing complex is enhanced,” says animal welfare activist and Blue Cross of Hyderabad co-founder, Vasanthi Vadi.
In fact, BCH has recently met Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Somesh Kumar and sought the support of the civic body in propagating the concept. “Such adoptions by apartments will work two ways — one is that the security is furthered at the apartment and second is there are not many fewer stray dogs on the streets,” she says.
The municipal corporation is responsible for issues related to stray dogs and that’s why GHMC has been approached. “Amala Akkineni recently met the Commissioner and discussed the issue. We are planning to pursue it and ask the civic body to explain to the housing colonies and apartment blocks the advantages of adopting pet dogs,” Vasanthi Vadi says.
Animal welfare groups point out that once the stray dogs are given a home and provided food they do not roam the streets searching for food and instead stay at the adopted place. “Also the dogs after sterilisation are calmer and healthier and hence will be an asset when it comes to the security aspects of the homes and apartments.” Complaints of some building and apartment associations objecting to flat owners keeping their own pets are often heard. At times, neighbours also raise objections.
“Apartments should be more pet-friendly and fact is that no one can stop a person from having a pet dog unless the animal creates nuisance. There have been judgements on this and the latest has been from the Mumbai Court,” avers Vasanthi Vadi (Ph: 9849027601).
Whenever such complaints are received, the BCH teams visit the apartments and counsel those raising objections. “We try to counsel them and if one does not listen or understand, we show them the rule book and court judgements,” she says.
At the same time, the Blue Cross of Hyderabad is also organising community care takers which in animal welfare parlance mean individuals who love pets, have pets or are willing to care for them. They are trained in various aspects of caring for the animals and also in identifying other individuals and apartments willing to adopt a dog.
“There is no point in just complaining a lot about stray dog menace. What we are talking about are the time-tested and effective measures. Just adopt these dogs and they move from streets to inside of your apartment and also act as an additional security measure,” adds Vasanthi Vadi.
