Ajit, kennel supervisor, gives treats to Kalu and TommyI arrived in Mumbai in the early afternoon. A couple of hours after getting off the plane, I was meeting Abodh Aras, CEO of The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), at the organization’s sterilization center. The center is in the middle of a slum, in the city-owned former dog pound—where street dogs were killed. WSD’s intention is that dogs just come here for sterilization and recovery before being put back on the street. But, there are some strays living there. WSD manages to take good care of the dogs in spite of the lack of financial and administrative support from the Municipal Corporation (although it is obligated to provide both).

WSD runs an Animal Birth Control/Anti-Rabies program, bringing in approximately 180 dogs a month. Under the creative leadership of Abodh and with a cadre of volunteers—I think he said that there are 90 active volunteers—it runs a variety of other programs. One of the most critical activities undertaken by volunteers in on-site first aid for dogs. This type of care treats small medical problems before they become serious enough to bring the dog into a clinic or life threatening. They also place dogs in permanent homes and go into schools and talk to schoolchildren about dog bite prevention, among other things.

Abandoned PomeranianOne of the dogs I saw at the sterilization center was Tommy, who doesn’t like women, so he and I didn’t become well acquainted. Tommy loves Abodh, however, and loves running around and playing with him. There was also Kalu, who used to live at the zoo, until zoo officials evicted him. And a pretty Pomeranian, who had been abandoned on the street but was adopted the day after I visited.

That evening I went with Adodh and some of the WSD volunteers to an informal talk by John Rogerson, a dog trainer from the U.K., who spoke about how shelters can increase the chances that a dog will be adopted. Only a few of his remarks were applicable to WSD’s operation, but it was interesting nonetheless.