A woman who could not bear the poor conditions of strays in Hyderabad is helping them. Shailaja is an IT professional, but in her own time, she volunteers for animal rescue and sterilisation.?
It all started in 2018 when she adopted a puppy. She used to be frightened of dogs, but she fell in love with the puppy when her family brought the stray home. Now she spends her savings on medical expenses and food for the strays.?
"Before 2018, I was very scared of animals, especially dogs. In 2018, my family brought a dog home and I couldn't help but develop a special bond. I slowly started to have compassion for the stray dogs living in my locality and started to feed them daily. I used to feed over 50 dogs and took care of their medical expenses whenever it was required," she said while speaking to ANI.?
"Lacking the knowledge about animal welfare in the initial stages, I just used to feed them and get them vaccinated. I then started to protect the newborn puppies and tried to take home all of them but it was difficult. I try my best to get them adopted by other people. I have spent a lot of my savings on their well being," she added.?
"For nearly nine months, I took proper care of a dog that needed medical attention and once her health was restored, she was immediately sterilized and adopted," she went on to say.?
"I was not sure where to and how to start so I started working with dog catchers. I maintained the count of how many male and female dogs were in my locality and how many of them had been sterilized. The non-sterilized dogs are taken to private veterinary hospitals. Currently, I'm working on stray dogs near Himayatnagar and have vaccinated and sterilized most of the stray dogs in the area."?
It has not been easy for her but it does not stop her from helping them.
"I would like to take this initiative of mine ahead and to build a foster house for these stray animals. People should come forward and start understanding these animals are living creatures too and feel emotions just like us," she said.?