Showing posts with label Animal Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animal Care. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
I stumbled upon this video of Isa Leshko. Poignant and beautiful. Some of you may find Isa's personification of the animals silly. Yet, it struck a chord with me.
I always maintain that caring for a pet has made me more human. I'm glad to have relatives and friends who've had various farm animals as pets.
Getting to know such animals has been an important part of my life experiences.
Most in my family are very sensitive to animal abuse, and feel strongly about animal rights. This may sound funny, especially, if you're from my part of the world, India. In a country famous for its callous attitude towards human life, striving for animal rights can appear to be an elitist indulgence.
Yet, humans can find courage and hope, rationalize and even stand up to their tormentors. Not so with animals. World over, many farm animals, including well bred home pets, continue to die earlier than usual; they are either abused at a young age or turned away by their adoptive families in old age.
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Another reason why I found the video compelling was the ageing factor. There is much discomfort and disgrace attached to this natural process. Yet it's the one thing that connects us all.
Monday, May 30, 2011
I am sure this will serve as an eye opener to most dog lovers.
Let's take a very simple piece of advice that trainers take out, which is you should never allow a dog to go in front of you through a doorway because it will give the signal to the dog that you are submissive and are therefore allowing him or her — the dog — to become dominant. Take another one. Many trainers advise against playing tug of war games because there is a risk the dog will win and the dog, by winning, will think that you are being submissive and he will therefore be able to control you in the future. We've done research into a number of these things — including the tug of war game — and have shown that the premise is just completely not true. If you do let a dog win over and over again at tug of war, it likes you. It wants to play with you more than it did to begin with because it's having fun.
This is nonsense of the first order. I cannot begin to explain the awesomeness one experiences, while playing with a dog and letting it win! Very few moments in life equal the happiness and satisfaction that a dog's company brings. At the Matta household, Chotu Matta definitely holds more muscle power than all of us combined. We love it that way.
Also, it would do you and your dog much good if you trained it like you would train your own baby. Potty training included.
The article had me going aww in most places. There is much wrong with the reasons many people prefer to have pets.
Personally speaking, having a pet is as important a decision as having a baby.
You are better off without one if you can't see the emotional side to animals and their rights.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
and has been adopted by a family in Mumbai.
We know the family and are glad Choti Goli will be well cared for.
Also, for the first time, I saw some real value in facebook and twitter.
World for All and various independent animal lovers connected with us and helped with spreading the word.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Snoopy has had a very hectic Sunday.
Eating, playing, barking (yes, she is a teekhi mirchi!) and napping. Rinse. Repeat.
Though she is tiny and very delicate, she has turned out to be extremely naughty. She hates being held and is always prancing around the entire house.
Playing with Snoopy brings much joy to my family. Can't say so about Chotu though.
Also, since she is teething, it is fun to watch her nibble and chew any and everything that comes her way.
In the meanwhile, we have also started receiving calls for adoption. Many callers thought she was a Boxer and were ready to pay for her. When informed that she was a Pariah, their interest fizzled out.
If you know of people who would like to adopt a pet and will treat it as family... please write back.
Preferable locations : Mumbai/Pune.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Yesterday, while returning from work, I found her loitering around in my building compound. She seemed to be following an uncle...I decided to follow her. She looked back and we both stared at each other for a good minute.
Fir kya, sparks flew and I made the first move.
She seemed to like my whistle and started taking baby steps towards me.
Then, she came near my feet, sniffed, licked and actually slept over my feet, with me standing there!
Now, there was no way I could have left such a delicate looking baby alone.
I am glad I have a family, where each one of us, is free to tag along any animal we find on the road, injured or otherwise.
*****
My mom got "choti goli" vaccinated against polio and gastroenteritis today. The doctor, Mr. Swali said, she is about 40 days old and fairly healthy.
How she landed in our colony is a mystery. I went around asking for a stray who might have delivered pups.
As expected, nobody had a clue!
*****
Choti Goli is up for adoption.
As much as I would love to, I can't adopt her. We have Chotu. He is S.E.N.T.I.M.E.N.T.A.L.
If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting the pup, please comment/mail me.
If there are too many applicants, we will conduct a swayamvar.
If there are too many applicants, we will conduct a swayamvar.
Friday, December 17, 2010
I am delighted to have animal lovers and pet owners as colleagues.
Finally, I can go to real people as against online groups and websites for tips on pet care. Though, Charu still remains my favourite girl.
There is something very different in the mental make up of an animal lover. You just know it when you meet one.
Anyway, the point of this post is : many at my work place and elsewhere, seem to be unaware of the BMC's drive to license pets. People who fail to have it done may have to pay penalties and even have their pets detained.
So, rush before Kanoon ke lambe haath close in on your furry friend.
I leave you with the below weekend goody :
Image Courtesy : Bagpakker's Blog
Choooo Chweet :-)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Very few people I come across can live in harmony with animals.
Some are afraid of animals, while, an overwhelming majority, hate them.
For whatever reason.
Some incidents in the last two months have proven that even employees and volunteers of some well-known animal care NGOs, lack sensitivity and love.
This post was meant to be a rant against them.
Thankfully, I realised my folly.
Few people like animals, fewer still actively involve themselves in animal welfare.
I would rather talk about the good work that is going on and hope people make use of the resources available to help these kindred souls.
Charu Shah is an animal rights activist and someone, I go to, apart from my regular vet, in case of any queries/suggestions.
An architect by profession, Charu is a living encyclopedia on animal rights and laws, pertaining to India.
She has an egroup by the name of animal-welfare India. The digest has any every information you could think of, with regards to animal care, adoption drives, pet news and happenings around the globe.
She, alongwith her dedicated network of friends, holds group meetings that bounce off ideas in the field of animal care.
If you wish to become a part of the e-group or want to direct pet queries to Charu, please leave your mail IDs in the comments and I will revert.
Obviously, no crank mails/fraanship requests will be entertained.
Also, some NGOs that are doing their bit towards animal care are :
- SPCA
- IDA (In Defense of Animals)
- Ahimsa
I request you to get in touch with any of the above, if you ever find any ill-treatment being meted out to our furry friends.
*****
Today is my Chotu's birthday.
When we look back at the last four years, we feel blessed.
The below words from Jabberwock nail it better than I ever can -
It can be a lonesome business being closer to an animal than you are to most humans. People often give you strange looks if you express your real feelings, so you end up making light of things – shrugging and saying things jokingly as if they don’t really matter, when they actually matter a great deal. Just the other day I was exchanging empathy notes with a friend who’s in a similar position. She and her husband treat their human child and their dog as equals (with the caveat that the human kid, aged ten, is relatively independent now, spends most of his time playing video games and is already heading for a life-stage where parents won’t be very important to his scheme of things, while the dog will be completely dependent on them till the end of his life). But it’s very difficult for them to share these thoughts even with close friends - unless the friends also happen to feel the same way - because the typical reactions are derisive laughter or criticism. Defensiveness ends up being your default mode. Halfway through writing this post, I was already thinking about trolls who would decide to feel “offended” because I’m drawing a connection between a Progeria-suffering human being and an animal. Well, tough.
*****
Contact Numbers for the NGOs listed above
SPCA - 022 24137518/ 022 24135285
IDA - 022 56212681/ 022 32681418
Ahimsa - 022 28802682/ 022 28821972
IDA - 022 56212681/ 022 32681418
Ahimsa - 022 28802682/ 022 28821972
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