INDIA

Deserted In Pandemic: Why The Worst Isn’t Over For Pets

Noida News

April 23, 2022 by chahlatte

Noida: The pandemic has been cruel for pets. First came rumors of the animals being carriers of the virus. Then the catastrophic second wave hit, leaving many pets without their families. Over the two years, dozens of pets have been rescued from homes or abandoned at shelters.

The return to normalcy that 2022 has kindled hopes of, with Covid showing signs of becoming endemic, hasn’t, however, reversed the trend of pets becoming homeless, say animal welfare NGOs working in Delhi-NCR.

In 2020, the Animal Shelter and Hospital in Sector 94, the only largescale one running in Noida, took in 40 pet dogs from March onwards. The next year saw 90 such cases and three dozen dogs have already been let go by their keepers in the first three months of 2022.

“It is devastating for us to see pet dogs initially brought up by a family get abandoned. Of all the breeds, we find pit bulls abandoned the most,” says Anuradha Dogra, a volunteer at the shelter that is being run by Dhyan Foundation.

Dogra cited examples. Bella, nearly 3 years old, is a pit bull found this January. She had a dead puppy attached to her belly when she was rescued.

The shelter suspects Bella’s keepers did not want to get her medical treatment after she gave birth. “The pit bull, treated and recovered, is now waiting for her forever home,” she said.

It’s not just Covid distress, say activists, that’s led to pets turning homeless. People rushed to adopt pets for company because they felt lonely confined to their homes during lockdowns, only to realize later they were not prepared for it. As a result, labradors, huskies, great danes, beagles, pit bulls and other breeds have been found loitering on streets and taken to shelters by animal lovers.

“We got a St Bernard in the first week of March. He died within a week… heartbreak or heat, we can’t tell,” says Dogra, referring to the breeds that aren’t meant to live in the harsh summers of India.

Kaveri Rana Bhardwaj, who runs the Sophie Memorial Animal Relief Trust in Greater Noida, says her shelter had taken in three abandoned dogs in the recent weeks. “In my rescue home, I end up taking 4-5 dogs every month. Cases of deserting pets have not decreased and we can’t even blame a Covid outbreak right now. Some of the families do it because they are shifting cities and don’t want the hassle of taking their dog with them. Others who adopted dogs during the pandemic now say the pets are aggressive or too energetic for them to handle,” she says.

Recently, Bhardwaj says, she rescued a one-year-old American bully that a family didn’t want because he apparently bit the children. “I’ve had him for three weeks and have not seen any sign of aggression in him,” she says.

Many people who adopted pets did not realize the animals need a lifetime of care and affection. For those who did, job losses and deaths in the family because of Covid may have forced their hand. “Employment and pandemic losses over the last two years may have dissociated many from keeping pets,” says Dogra.

Pets also aren’t all the same. Some breeds of dogs need more exercise, and others may need special grooming in this hot and humid weather. “People need to do some research before keeping pets. For instance, with pit bulls, they are not supposed to be raised in small houses or apartments. These are high-energy dogs who thrive in cooler climates. In a warmer place with little space for them, they can become aggressive because they are uncomfortable all the time,” Bhardwaj says.

Vikas Gautam, who runs a dog shelter home in Sector 163, agreed. “Covid has badly impacted on individual’s income. This is one of the major reasons why more pet dogs are getting abandoned after Covid struck.”

Delhi-based NGO Friendicoes says it has been seeing a similar trend. “Sometimes, this has happened because a family member died and extended relatives can’t take care of the dog. Other times, family members have to go back to office (after working from home for two years) and no longer have the time for a pet,” says Shreya Agnihotri, a volunteer at the NGO.

For those abandoned, rehabilitation is not easy. Veterinary doctors say that even if pet dogs recover from the physical and mental trauma of being left to fend for themselves on the streets, they don’t find people willing to take them. “People prefer to take puppies home,” says Dogra.

“They go into depression. They can stop eating, become aggressive or less active. An abandoned dog needs a lot of care and love. If they don’t, most of the time, they end up losing their lives,” says Dr Pankaj Chaudhary, a veterinarian practicing in Greater Noida West.

 

Deserted In Pandemic: Why The Worst Isn’t Over For Pets

Apr 24, 2022

Animals Planet

The pandemic has been cruel for pets.

First came rumours of the animals being carriers of the virus.

Then the catastrophic second wave hit, leaving many pets without their families.

Over the two years, dozens of pets have been rescued from homes or abandoned at shelters.

The return to normalcy that 2022 has kindled hopes of, with Covid showing signs of becoming endemic, hasn’t, however, reversed the trend of pets becoming homeless, say animal welfare NGOs working in Delhi-NCR.

In 2020, the Animal Shelter and Hospital in Sector 94, the only largescale one running in Noida, took in 40 pet dogs from March onwards.

The next year saw 90 such cases and three dozen dogs have already been let go by their keepers in the first three months of 2022.

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“It is devastating for us to see pet dogs initially brought up by a family get abandoned.