Every dog has its day in this shelter

AV Today: What kind of work does Integrated Animal Care do? 

Kannan: Mainly, we rescue and look after the stray dog population within Auroville.  We give anti-rabies and multi-antigen vaccination and sterilize the dogs that frequent Solar Kitchen, Visitor’s Centre, Matrimandir, Town Hall and surrounding areas. We have a rescue team and people call us when a dog is sick or injured and needs medical treatment or safety. 

Due to the COVID lockdown, restaurants only offer takeaway meals, so there is no left-over food for dogs where they normally get food. Consequently, currently, we are also feeding some dogs at the Visitors Centre. We cook 25 to 30 kgs of rice every day for the dogs in the shelter, hence cooking a little extra food does not make much difference, and we are happy to do it. 

How many dogs do you have in the shelter, and how did they come there?

We have almost 150 dogs here: we cannot accommodate any more. Actually, the shelter is intended for dogs who are sick or handicapped. There are many dogs here who have only two or three legs,  or are blind or are very old. We give them food and allow them to live here peacefully till they die. And they get a dignified burial place. Healthy dogs can manage outside. But sometimes we rescue a dog which is very weak, and later, even after it regains its health, we allow it to stay. This is because the shelter has become its home and he/she is integrated in the group life and gained its confidence, has made friends, developed feelings. And if we take it outside, it will come back like a boomerang! It would be like uprooting it again, so we let it stay.

Sometimes people from outside dump dogs in Auroville. These dogs don’t know how to get food and get weak and sick, or get into fights with the existing ‘residents’, and get bitten or bleed and then people call us to rescue them. We have to gain their trust to catch them and bring them to the shelter, give them medical care, then vaccinate and sterilize them. Sometimes people dump dogs right outside the shelter. Sometimes they are tied or put in a bag or box, or are in a very sorry state. If they are a good or foreign breed, we try to get them adopted as people like to adopt dogs of those breeds. Also pedigree dogs have different needs for food and living conditions. They suffer in the raw conditions of the Indian weather and our local food. Every dog is equal for us and we do the best we can for them. Also, as a policy, we do not euthanize a dog unless it is very sick or suffering from incurable pain. It is the rarest of the most painful decisions I have to take, to let a life go, keeping its dignity. 

Tell me more about sterilization of stray dogs.

We need to sterilize the stray dogs in Auroville, otherwise every year too many puppies will be born. Dr Kavitha, our visiting veterinary doctor, comes here every Saturday to do the sterilization and treat other sick dogs. Auroville Stray Relief and Animal Welfare (AV Straw) helps us pay for a few sterilizations every month. After we sterilize a stray dog, we take it back to its territory. When a dog is taken away from its territory, other dogs may move in to occupy the space, cause territorial fights, disturb the balance of the place, and these dogs will breed since they are not sterilized. Hence, it always better to put a dog back in the same area, and care for its healthy life. Also it is illegal to relocate a stray dog from its place of living.

What are your monthly expenses and how do you fund them?

Our monthly expenses are between Rs.70,000 to 80,000. Auroville Maintenance gives almost half of that. We have to raise the other half through donations. 

When a person wants to donate, we send them the link to the Auroville donation gateway. We have made a WhatsApp group of donors from all over the world. We keep them informed about how we are using their donation and update them on the progress of shelter projects. We keep very meticulous and detailed accounts. If a worker buys bread from the Auroville Bakery for the dogs, it is noted. Our accounts are very transparent.

Do you get volunteers?  

We had a very good volunteer in Dany Foureau who passed away a few months back from cardiac arrest. She came in the mornings and I came in the afternoons to the shelter. 

We need the right kind of volunteers and helpers as this is really hard and difficult work. Not everyone can do it. When a volunteer applies, we interview the volunteer and tell them about the shelter and the kind of work we do here. Some shelters in Europe are very luxurious, but here it is very different. 

We have another WhatsApp group for people living within Auroville who want to help the shelter in some way. We keep sharing ideas about the shelter and giving updates about the work here. Sometimes, if I am not well, another person from this group will come and help in the shelter. So, these groups are helping us continue the work. So the work is shared and no one is exclusive here.

Do you have kennel facilities for someone who has to leave their dog while they are travelling?

We can provide a kennel facility but only for Aurovilians and for a maximum of one month. If it’s an Indian dog, it has immunity and it can survive here. But if it’s a breed dog, after one month it may get a disease. This is a shelter and there are sick dogs here. Also we need more space for a kennel/ boarding facility to keep some buffer space.

Why is there no signboard with the IACC name outside? It was difficult to find the shelter.

There is a good reason why we do not have a signboard outside. Many people come and dump their dogs outside the shelter. Also, we don’t want to put up a sign till we have a proper gate. Earlier, we had more problems before the high fence was built. Some of the more acrobatic dogs would escape into the neighbouring poultry farm and kill their chickens. Rita, who was managing the shelter at the time, had to pay a lot of money every month to the poultry farm as compensation. The high fence has solved that problem. 

What are some of the challenges faced by the shelter?

The work of the shelter is a community work. We are happy to get helping hands. 

Many Aurovilians don’t know anything about the shelter even though it is 15 years old. They go to other organizations like Bark India in Puducherry and volunteer there or give donations there. Even if they give Rs 100 a month to us (which is just the cost of a coffee at La Terrace), it will help us so much. Only 15 to 25 Aurovilians (out of 3000) are donating regularly. Some give Rs 100, some Rs 500 and a few Rs 1000 every month. If we can get support from at least 10% of Aurovilians, we can do so much more at the shelter. We can have more equipment, better infrastructure and more facilities for the dogs. People can also donate things like food, clothes, old mattresses, bed sheets, towels, brushes, fencing and construction materials, medical supplies, old newspapers or big cardboard boxes.

Another problem is that several Auroville communities do not allow pets. Hence, it’s difficult to find homes for dogs, and particularly puppies.

What are your future plans?

We have 2.5 acres of land. The front portion is not enclosed and we plan to enclose it so that we can accommodate more enclosures for treatment and care of more dogs. We also want to make three partitions in the shelter. We need a quarantine area to separate the sick dogs and to provide space to dogs in the last days of their lives who need a quiet place. We also want to make a separate building for a cat shelter. 

Can you have a cat and dog shelter in the same place?

There will be no physical contact between the dogs and the cats: we already have one cat here and it has adjusted well. But there is a need for a shelter as many cats also get dumped in Auroville. It will be a place to house and treat them until they find homes.

Are there territorial fights between dogs in the shelter? 

Sometimes there will be fights because there are some alpha dogs here. But generally, they live together quite harmoniously as a big, happy and boisterous family. All the dogs in the shelter have a name and have their own stories. Sometimes after months or years of abuse or neglect somehow, they have ended up here. Some need more time and distance to come out of their trauma or past situations. After a couple of months they start feeling comfortable, and this becomes their home. They have their own community here and they are happy here. It’s an Auroville within Auroville for the dogs.  

They all get the same food and treatment, although if there is a sick dog we may give extra care for some time. If there is a packet of biscuits, I will break them into small pieces and see that each dog gets a piece. So, every dog knows that they will get some and waits patiently. 

When I reach the shelter every morning, my first hour is spent touching and greeting each and every dog. As I open the gate, I hear a special noise – it sounds like music to my ears – the noise means they are really happy to see me. They all jump on me and make my clothes dirty.

If one sees an injured dog who does one contact?

They can call my number (8637638925). People can call for dog rescue at any time, even in the night. I always keep some medicines in my room and we can at least provide first aid in the night. And next morning we can do further treatment.

For more information contact:

[email protected] or 

visit Facebook: Integrated Animal Care Centre.