Little furry creatures up for adoption

BANGALORE: Conducted for the sixteenth time, the monthly camp for adoption of pups, held this time in National Games Village, Koramangala, did not meet with the best response. Out of 25 street pups that were up for adoption, only 11 were adopted on Sunday. Achala Paani, who heads an independent organisation called ‘Let’s Live Together’ started this initiative in order to promote adoption of dogs.  Adoption, she says, is a better option than buying dogs from breeders.Poor response from KoramangalaBeing held for the first time in the south of Bangalore, the camp met with a poor response.  “We have conducted these camps in North Bangalore where the response has been normally good. The response from Koramangala, somehow, was not that great,” said Achala Paani, the organiser of the adoption camp.About the initiative Speaking to City Express, she said that all the pups that were up for adoption were less than three months old.  “They have all been picked up from the street. We generally give these pups to some families that are willing to take them for a month or so. During this time, they take care of the pups and vaccinate them as well. After that, the pups are sent to the adoption camp,” she explained.  These families cannot usually commit to take care of them for a longer period of time. This scheme works quite well because the pups that come for adoption are screened and are ready to be accepted in a new family willing to adopt them.Why it needs to be promoted?After completing 11 years in animal work, Achala Paani feels that animal lovers in the city do not generally adopt homeless dogs.  This, she says, is a necessity considering there are so many street dogs that need care. After a series of incidents where street dogs have allegedly bitten children, even reportedly mauled them, there is a growing need to give street dogs some form of shelter. While sterilisation is one such option, adoption of dogs seems to be a better option, according to Achala. She also adds that people need to be made aware about the benefits of adopting a puppy from the street as opposed to buying a new one from a breeder.