New Kids on the Block
The mom you see in the pic gave birth to 2 pups recently. A few of us were waiting with bated breath for the birth. She has been pregnant for a couple of months, and as she neared her due date, she made a “home” in the street drain, under the entry stones of a house. A few of the residents around gave the mom the space she needed. All of us were wondering if it wans’t already time for the pups to be out, but we heard no sound at all.
One morning, because of some construction work in the nearby house, a laborer went a little close to the drain. And something bit him. He didn’t realise what bit him. He just told people around him that something had bit him. Some people wondered if it was a snake. Nope, no snake. On peeking, people saw the mom and the 2 pups!! The mom has been so careful that we didn’t even hear the pups squeak! And when she thought the laborer was very near her pups, to protect them, she bit him. It was only then did we even realise that the pups were already out! But, none of us had had the opportunity to see them! The mom made sure the pups were safe and away from all humans.
Only for the last couple of days, have we caught glimpses of the pups and the mom. The mom has been very careful even when we watch them from a distance. She ventures out only at nights, never leaving the pups alone during the day. The pups are very cute, and I am sure she will lose them easily, cause some of the neighbors are eagerly waiting for the mom to leave the pups, and raise the pups are pets.
As for the laborer who was bit, it was nothing much. In fact he didn’t get infected. The wound healed up quickly. And he is fine. The mom and the pups look very healthy. She has been a good mom. A very good mom. She was one of those that was saved from the “vans”, cause we told the dog-catchers that she was pregnant. :)
The pics were taken from a safe distance without infringing on their territory. My kids were with me as I was clicking, and they loved seeing the pups. We were behind a compound wall, from where we got a good view.
PS: I was one of those that was extremely affected by the deaths of the kids at the hands of the dogs. I felt terrible about the deaths. I have 2 kids myself, and would never want anything like that to happen to them. That said, I will also make sure that my kids are NEVER away from me whenever they are on the road with me. I am also sure, dogs such as these are extremely harmless and can only add to the charm of a neighborhood. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the dog’s pregnancy, her “nesting”, the collective anticipation of the birth, and finally the pups themselves. I am not sure if we want to lose all of that, but must take great care to make sure such attacks never repeat ever again. If we are watchful of any kind of pack behaviour, we must jump in and take action. Report such dogs right away! And I think, we can all actually co-exist!
Welcome Chitra,
Good start with a nice post!
Thanks Rajesh, it was published by mistake, in the sense, I ‘saved’ it and lo and behold there it was! :)
hey Chitra,
blessings and all the help you need. as for the pups, if they are still there after 4 months, i will personally ensure that they are sterilised and vaccinated against rabies….and any other help. if mom dog can get water regularly. they get very dehydrated while lactating.
Sure Yasmine. As for sterilisation/vaccination, will keep you posted.
I agree (to a certain extent), that these dogs add to the charm of the neighbrhood. I have been through a similar experience myself, and it almost made me feel that we are “co-existing” with them as against “dominating” them.
Having said that, it is equally important to address the dangerous facet of this problem.
Good writeup.
I am dog lover myself. I remember being very excited as a young boy at seeing young puppies in the new neighbor hood we moved into. But I think as a society we should not get carried away and make excuses for having street dogs. It pains me as much as anyone else to see dogs being put to sleep. But who is responsible for the young boy’s death? Do we know that it was not a sterilized dog that killed him? Every dog in Bangalore must have an owner who is responsible for its action.
People opposing this drive by the BBMP should either adopt those dogs or let the BBMP do its job of protecting people from animals. This is not the bandipur national park.This is Bangalore where every child should be protected as much as possible.
Sorry for the long post. Again I am not an animal hater or anything like that.
they look so cute..
great post..keep up the good work..
@ Ramkumar, Thanks! What you say is true. It IS important to address the issue on hand. No running away from it.
@ Gautham, I cannot tell you how much I would have agreed with you even a few days ago. Yes, street dogs are an issue. No denying that. But, as parents we have to watch our kids ALL the time. After I actually understood where Manju was playing, I was shocked to learn that he was unsupervsed! That the dogs attacked him is a tragedy. We are responsible for the child and for the dogs roaming around in packs. I am not opposing the drive by the BBMP. However, I can never support indiscriminate culling. Thankfully, they have not resorted to that. Yes, this is not the national park, and I am not asking us to live amongst wild animals, just some docile dogs. I have no objections to people taking away the aggresive ones, as long as they are not culled! If the diseased ones are put to sleep, that is not too bad.
@ kart, yes they do look cute. And I am not even that much into dogs! :) But, I do have the responsibility of teaching cmpassion to my kids. Thanks!
Chitra, Welcome to Bangalore MetBlogs !
Thanks Shadow! :)
Gautham, we are opposed to the cruel manner in which dogs are being killed by the BCC. Please read Mid-Day , Bangalore, dated 10th March. The BCC is using Mag Sulph, a slow acting euthanasia drug, causing gradual muscle contraction and asphyxiation is being given and the dogs who resist, as anyone who has taken a dog to a vet will tell you, are clubbed to death. In some cases, no vet is doing the euthanasia, but some three penny attendant is doing it.
Not to mention dogs being clubbed to death by people, dogs being set on fire, dogs having acid thrown on them. To agree that this is the way and that this is justified is to show that such a person has the mind of a sociopath.
It is unrealistic to think that stray dogs can be completely eliminated. We are not opposed to euthanasia of unfit dogs, unfit meaning, very old dogs, aggressive dogs, diseased dogs etc. We have a long way to go before society is civilized and compassionate enough to be willing to use methods that are humane and scientific, be it for the betterment of humans or animals. That certainly does not mean that in the meanwhile we become savages and Nazi like in out outlook and have dog death camps.
Children have a right to play, but no adult has a right to be irresponsible. A four year old has no concept of the dangers of his/her environment. Leaving such toddler alone and unsupervised , long enough for a tragedy like this one to happen is gross and unforgivable human carelessness.
Every news paper is silent on child behavior which is stoning the dogs. Somebody has to tell all parents to teach kids not to do this.
Yasmine and Chitra, I second with you on the way dogs have to be eliminated. Absolutely no cruelty should be tolerated. But I disagree with you on having street dogs at all. It is highly impossible to monitor which dog/s is exhibiting aggressive or “group” behavior. Second its not just children we are talking about here. Even adult’s face attacks from dogs if they step out of their own neighborhood dogs “territory”. INDIA has the largest number of rabies cases and deaths resulting from it. It’s a shame being called a sociopath for protecting people from animals!!!
Second it not impossible to eliminate street dogs. One good way would be to adopt them. Dogs which are not adopted have to be culled for the greater good of the soceity.Making excuses for having street dogs is to condone the death of HUMAN BEINGS.