A 1.5-acre fruit farm at Irimpanam in Tripunithura is now home to about 15 stray dogs and equal number of fowl. Johny John and his wife Reena Johny, the owners of the farm, have been rehabilitating stray dogs for the past 15 years. They had to take a break owing to health issues some years ago and now they are slowly reviving the farm.
“At one time we had handled about hundred dogs, since we started with a dog 15 years ago. About 2,000-odd dogs had been adopted from the streets or from people. A few dogs from the farm had been adopted by others too,” John said.
The farm now has a white labrador, a dachshund, a pomeranian cross and a bunch of local breeds.
As we reached the centre of the farm passing an array of rambutan and mango trees, a huge Alsatian came sniffing at us. “This one is aged, look at his feet, they are weak”, said John. TV anchor Renjini Haridas brought it from Maradu. “We are yet to name him,” added Reena. Muzhibul, the helper at the farm, suddenly came up with a name, ‘Haven’.
The helpers feed the dogs twice a day with rice and meat.
Nearly seven to eight bags of rice, with a rice bag of 75kg, are required to feed the dogs for two months. And meat worth Rs.2,000 is required every week.
They also have four dogs at their flat. Another six are being looked after by migrant workers at another place in Irimpanam.
