It was a month ago that Jerry Das, city mission manager of the Kudumbashree National Urban Livelihoods Mission project, who was returning to the city from Vithura after midnight spotted a dog lying on the Peroorkada-Vazhayila road, near St. Jude’s Church.
The dog, brown in colour, had been hit by a vehicle.
It had a blue collar around the neck and looked clean, and most likely someone’s pet.
Pathetic condition
Since it could not move, the likelihood of it being run over by vehicles and getting killed was too great.
However, it was not allowing Mr. Das to come near; it would raise its head to earn him off.
Mr. Das then waited at the spot for an hour for a member of a consortium of the eight Kudumbashree Animal Birth Control (ABC) microenterprise units in the district to arrive and transport the dog to Government Veterinary Hospital, Pettah.
The dog was lucky that the consortium members, who provide food and take care of the dogs brought to the hospital for sterilisation as part of the ABC programme, are around at night, and could take it to the hospital in their vehicle.
The animal that had broken its front paw near the shoulder was treated by the ABC programme’s empanelled doctors.
Since its treatment, it is being taken care of by the consortium members.
Its injury has now healed, it can walk, and has been eating food properly, says Mr. Das.
The Kudumbashree ABC microenterprise units are responsible for capturing dogs to support the ABC programme of local bodies, transporting the animals to veterinary hospitals in the district for sterilisation, providing pre-and-post operative care, and then safely releasing the animals.
Highly criticised
The ABC programme had drawn a lot of flak initially, but the Kudumbashree ABC units are setting an example of love for animals by taking care of the dog for the past month, Kudumbashree district mission coordinator K.R. Shaiju says in a statement.
The dog is now kept at the hospital and is awaiting its owner.
For details, contact the ABC unit consortium on 9562387855.
