Hyderabad: Moved by the pitiful conditions of stray animals on the streets of Hyderabad, a young woman has volunteered to help the voiceless creatures.
Shailaja, who works in an IT company spends her free time volunteering for animal rescue and sterilization. Her journey started with the adoption of a puppy in 2018 and now, she spends her savings on medical expenses and food for the stray animals.
Speaking to ANI, Shailaja said that she was initially very scared of dogs but she developed a close special bond with then after her family brought a stray puppy home.
“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.
She further said, “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 said she also quit her job in hotel management to save the life of a dog who was in a very severe health condition.
“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.”
After that, she started to regularly sterilize the dogs, along with feeding and vaccinating them.
“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,” she added.
The journey has not always been pleasant, however, as her work often lands her in difficult situations.
Despite this, she continues to do her best and provide all that she can for the helpless creatures who depend on her.
“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.”