Three-and-a-half year old doberman Chottu greets you like a beloved old friend you run into unexpectedly while crossing a street on a busy afternoon.
And he’s just the first one of the “welcome crowd” you run into at All Creatures Great And Small (ACGS), a non-profit organisation that provides shelter for animals in distress.
FARIDABAD, HARYANA, 27/04/2017: A caretaker feeding Emu at the All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) at Faridabad in Haryana on Thursday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Friendly cuddle
Enter the huge iron gate and you find yourself engulfed in a friendly cuddle with at least 20 other dogs, including puppies. Mama, who walks with the aid of specially-designed wheels as her hind legs are paralysed, isn’t the one to be left behind. She too rushes to greet with such familiarity and excitement that you can’t but stop and steal a quick hug.
Run by activist Anjali Gopalan and in operation since February 2013, the shelter is located on a 2.5 acre plot alongside their organic farm in Haryana’s Faridabad, about 1.5 hours away from Delhi.
“The animals we have now are mostly abandoned, rescued, accident victims and recovered from circuses. Just recently, someone left four puppies tied up in a sack at the gate. We currently care for over 300 dogs and the number increases daily. We accept dogs as well as other distressed animals,” said shelter manager Jiwan.
FARIDABAD, HARYANA, 27/04/2017: Caretakers feeding animals at the All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) at Faridabad in Haryana on Thursday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
‘Foundation of compassion’
Ms. Gopalan said, “The endeavour is to synergies the existence of all beings with the environment to ensure a discrimination-free harmony. We are striving to improve the well-being of all by creating a future that is based on the foundation of compassion.”
The place currently houses 380 dogs, several of whom are visually impaired or differently-abled, 70 cats, horses, cows, 15 emus, ducks and other birds.
The “happy oasis” also grows some of its own food, including vegetables and fruits, for the animals. It has a small clinic to treat both the inmates, and animals brought and abandoned here.
Love all: All Creatures Great and Small, a shelter based in Faridabad in Haryana, currently houses 380 dogs, 70 cats, horses, cattle, 15 emus, ducks and other birds. The animals were either abandoned, rescued, accident victims or recovered from circuses.
‘Volunteers , visitors welcome’
“We get a lot of cattle and dogs who are accident victims. The place encourages people to adopt animals from here, accepts donations and is even open to people, especially children, who are welcome to interact with the animals here. Volunteers are also welcome. Here, you not only get a slice of farm life but learn to care for and empathise with the animals. All of this, besides seeing them at close quarters,” added Mr. Jiwan, while expertly cleaning up a puppy’s ears and eyes on the clinic table.
However, what he didn’t warn against was the massive case of puppy love this reporter felt for Chottu, who is hearing impaired and suffered a brain trauma after being physically assaulted by the family that later abandoned him.
