Thirty-year-old Muthu Kumar and his wife Deepa, residents of Thiru Vi Ka Park Street, face a tight schedule every day. They have no complaints though. In the morning, they attend to the customers at their pet store, Sky Pet Shop on Poonamallee High Road. At night, they are busy preparing food and attending to their furry, four-legged customers, wagging tails for their share of food, and of course, some love. One whistle and the pack of dogs on their street, swarm around Muthu Kumar. This has been their routine since the last four years.
Muthu realised he had abundant love for animals even before he started his pet store six years ago. Since then, he has been religiously taking care of the strays in his locality. He feeds them, tends to injured dogs; takes them on vaccination drives; and puts reflective collars on them.
Rescuing street dogs is yet another mission that Muthu pursues passionately. “I rescue as many strays as possible and give them for free adoption. As an encouragement to my customers who feed stray dogs, I offer them free packets of pedigree food to feed strays in their respective localities. Besides, I offer free food to dog owners who cannot afford pedigree food,” he says.
“I use 10 per cent of my profit for the well-being of these dogs,” says Muthu, who also makes it a point to keep a bowl of water and dog food outside his shop. “Any dog wandering around is welcome to feast on the food.”
He has also been conducting vaccination drives for the last two years. He offers free consultancy to his costumers and anyone in need, and also hires a veterinary doctor for a day to provide free treatment.
Being an active member of the Blue Cross of India, he donates free shampoos, accessories and dog food to the NGO, every month. Additionally, he volunteers to give dogs a shower and groom them.
“It is always a good experience volunteering as I get to interact with more animal lovers and learn a lot from them. In fact, volunteering at such NGOs has become a compulsory activity in my family,” he quips.
Muthu has also created a group on social media platforms to encourage his customers and dog lovers to have discussions on how to improve the lives of street dogs in India.
To get in touch with Muthu Kumar, call him at 9840339166.
