It was around 4 p.m. on September 29, K. Sajeev Kumar received a phone call from an unknown number informing him about an accident involving a pregnant stray dog at Aroor.
Mr. Kumar who was at Thanneermukkom at the time rushed to Aroor.
Seeing the canine writhing in pain, he carried it to his vehicle and drove to a veterinary clinic at Changanassery, run by a retired government veterinary doctor.
A scan revealed injuries to the dog’s spinal cord, which will take some time to heal. After being discharged from the hospital, he took the animal to his home at Vayalar near Cherthala for providing care.
“She is pregnant with seven puppies.
The veterinary doctors are less hopeful of saving the babies in her womb but are optimistic of saving the dog. Another checkup is scheduled for Monday, which will determine the best course of treatment including whether to conduct a surgery,” says Mr. Kumar, a dog catcher under the Animal Birth Control programme of the Alappuzha District Panchayat.
She is not the only stray dog currently under his care.
Another canine is recuperating from a broken foreleg and hindleg sustained in an accident near Pazhaveedu temple in Alappuzha last month.
Mr. Kumar, 51, has been involved in animal welfare activities such as providing care for ill and injured dogs, adopting abandoned ones, feeding strays, removing carcasses of dead animals from roads and so on for the past five years.
“I don't think I am doing anything special other than fulfilling my responsibility. Animals have as much right to live as human beings, he sayss.
The stray dogs deserve a better deal free of suffering. They deserve more love and affection,” he says, adding that the approach of the public towards strays should change.
Provided food
During the COVID-19-induced lockdown, Mr. Kumar ensured canines on the streets of Vayalar, Kuthiathode, Kodamthuruth, Thuravoor, Thycattussery and nearby places did not go hungry by feeding them. He fed cooked rice and chicken parts to around 100 dogs every day during the lockdown.
The Animal Husbandry Department recently honoured him with an award for animal welfare activities. The prize carried a purse of ₹10,000 and citation.
