Growing up, I had a morbid fear of dogs. I was taught that street dogs are dirty, smelly creatures who transmit rabies, and I would shoo them away, sometimes even by throwing small stones at them. Back then, I didn’t realize that feeling hunger and pain was not limited to just humans.
One day, I saw an uncle in my neighborhood beat a street dog on the head with a cricket bat for absolutely no reason. As the dog whimpered away, he sounded exactly like a child crying out for his mother, except no one came to save him.
Something inside me changed that day.
Slowly, I started playing with and feeding street dogs in secret. I was 16 when Cheeku came into my life. She was the first puppy I raised, and she became “my dog”. She would give birth to puppies every few months, most of which died because of speeding cars, infections and sometimes just because they had no proper shelter.
It’s now been 7 years since I started rescuing dogs. I have seen puppies being poisoned and dogs being relocated for no reason. Rescuing has taught me to make every day count. I’ve pet a totally healthy pup one day only to find him dead the next.
I've failed multiple times, and as if the heartbreak wasn’t enough, the neighbors would taunt me about saving “dirty dogs”. To them, the only ones worth saving are the ones we see in Pedigree and Vodafone ads.
The negativity that surrounds street dogs and people who help them is overwhelming. We don’t realize that streets with stray dogs tend to be safer, with lower instances of robbery. I have even been told that if I care so much about these dogs, I should marry them. The mean comments always hurt, but they've never stopped me. Over time, I've realized that sterilizing dogs is the best way to help them—less puppies on the road means less suffering.
Cheeku was the first dog I got sterilized, and since then,. I have proudly sterilized all the dogs in my neighborhood. I continue to do so for at least one dog per month. It gives me immense satisfaction to know that the dogs I manage to sterilize will no longer have to go through the endless, painful cycle of birthing puppies, being pelted by stones or run over by cars.
Over the years, I have also ended up with 6 rescued ‘street’ dogs of my own. To others, they may be rejects of the road but to me, they are everything.
Maybe being the neighbourhood nuisance is not such a bad thing, especially if it helps make a difference in a little way.
I was born in Delhi to a disadvantaged family. Later, my father left us when I was 15. He was a stonemason and with his departure, I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. I ended up flunking my 12th exams.
I was born and brought up in Chandigarh. Blessed with a flawless childhood, I enjoyed a lovely family, the finest of education and a sound social life. In school, I excelled in studies as well as extracurricular activities.
Before I share my story, I want us to remember that India largely resides in its villages and towns. There are a lot of people in our country who have a lot of potential, but they seldom get the opportunity to prove their worth.