New love stories, 52 of them, began this afternoon at the Blue Cross of India’s Guindy shelter. Their adoption drive for rescued puppies and kittens saw an encouraging turnout, with dozens of puppies, kittens and abandoned pedigree dogs finding homes. The new owners posed proudly for photographs with their furry friends, and pledged their support to the cause of homeless pet adoption.
“Adoption from shelters like this is the best option”, says Anuradha Chawla whose two rescued puppies found homes at the event. “Indian dogs adapt well to our climate with their fur coats. I have three Indian dogs, all of whom were rescued. They are as good as any other breed”. She cautions potential pet owners against pet shops and breeders – “I feel the breeding industry is cruel as the other dogs are often housed in cages or cramped spaces so their puppies can be sold. Ultimately, pedigree dogs suffer in India as they are imported from climates that are very different from ours”.
Priya Kalidindi, a Blue Cross volunteer held up a friendly 2-month-old puppy and appealed to visitors to open their minds to taking home a pet without placing importance on tags like pedigree and gender- “At this event, we encourage people not to discriminate on basis of age, breed or sex,” she says. “For example, this cute little one here has not yet been adopted because she’s a female! There’s no harm in adopting a female. You can get them sterilized at the age of six months, and they make the best pets ever”.
Ravichandra Kadiyala, another volunteer is enthused by the success of recent adoption drives and hopes that the surge in adoption numbers continues. “In the past one year, I have rescued and re-homed over 20 Indian animals”, he says. “I find them to be intelligent, adaptable and affectionate.”
At the close of the event, 44 puppies, 6 kittens and 2 pedigree adult dogs left the shelter and went home with their new families.
For more details on adopting a shelter pet, call 9952075570 or 9176927917 or email bluecrossofindia@gmail.com
