Toby, the puppy and Charlie, the kitten, that are used to vagaries of weather and street life, will sleep in a cosy new home from Sunday. They were among the many homeless and orphaned pets that were adopted by pet lovers at Adoptathon November 2019 held in the city on Sunday.
Wagging their tails, a total of 80 puppies and 21 kittens attracted the attention of hundreds of pet lovers who thronged the event jointly organised by the Blue Cross of India and V.R. Mall.
“Most of these orphaned pups and kitten were handed over to us by the public. At a very young age, they cannot survive the harshness of the street. Last year, close to 2,580 pups and kittens were adopted,” says Vinoth Kumar, general manager, Blue Cross of India.
The Adoptathon started around 3 p.m. and within 10 minutes, over 15 people had adopted kittens and pups. The process was simple, pick up a pet, get it checked by veterinarians from Blue Cross at the venue and get an adoption certificate after providing some requisite details. The puppies and kittens cuddled up to the visitors who picked them up and lay against the warmth of their clothing.
Mohammed Asaan from Nungambakkam had come with his family to adopt puppies.
Ahamed Shahz, a student from Coimbatore, had come to adopt a cat. He named it Charlie immediately.
“Many opt for puppies, but I chose a kitten since I love them. They told me how to take care of it,” he explains even as Charlie slept on his palm.
R. Balaji from Guduvancheri picked up two puppies.
“The community dogs will protect us too as they are street smart,” he says before walking away to get his adoption certificate.
These community dogs can stay without food for atleast two days, says P. Dhanapalan, chief veterinarian, Blue Cross of India.
‘Better immunity’
“They have survived on the street and their immunity is better than the high-end breeds,” he explains. Mr. Vinoth Kumar says that of late many people are adopting the community dogs. “Our Indian dogs can adjust to even extreme temperature, unlike the pedigree dogs. Hence it does not take a lot of money to take care of them,” he adds.
However, not every one had come to adopt. “This time I came with my classmate and her father to understand more about dogs. Next year I will adopt one,” says P. Varsha, a fifth-standard student, while picking up a whimpering white pup.
