After she recently lost her dog, Mumbai-based event manager Meghana Bhogle started visiting a lot of animal shelters to see how she could help. That’s when she and boyfriend, comedian and East India Comedy co-founder Sahil Shah decided to use social media to highlight street animals. On August 15, this year the Instagram account Goodestboysofbombay went live where the two post their encounters with furry friends. “It was a pretty simple thing which turned out to be big and keeps growing,” says Shah. “A lot [of] people have started adopting strays now.
Admittedly, both Bhogle and Shah and are obsessed with animals even though the latter could never have a pet because of his father’s allergies. “I had a plant which survived two years and is still going strong,” he laughs. “The sheer amount of love a dog can give you is unparalleled.” Bhogle, on the other hand, has grown up with generations of dogs since she was a child. “But I still am more attracted to strays,” she says.
Faces and places
In addition to the adorable cats and dogs that grace the Goodestboysofbombay page, the accompanying captions are equally if not more endearing. Take for instance, ‘Kelly the Kultured doggo’ at the NCPA whose bio says, “Us #SOBO doggerinas are pretty classy...”.
The posts all focus on an animal’s distinct feature. “If the doggo bites too much we’ll call him Bitey,” says Shah. Of course the page isn’t restricted to dogs, the duo often features feline friends too. They’ve also got day-specific posts like #tonguesouttuesday or #thicthursdays.
While Bhogle and Shah’s main aim with the page was to bring smiles on people’s faces, Goodestboysofbombay — with more than 5,000 followers already — now serves a higher purpose. “The five minutes you spend playing with the dog on the street is usually the best five minutes of his entire day,” says Shah. The couple’s hope is that humans become kinder to strays if they cannot adopt one. Alternatively, they’re raising awareness so people can visit a shelter or donate funds. “From spreading information about lost pets to helping organisations with adoptions, we dedicate as much time as we can from our schedule,” concludes Shah hoping that more people start becoming involved with stray animals.
Follow @Goodestboysofbombay on Instagram
