Abandoned- what a forlorn, final word! Last year we rescued 99 abandoned pet dogs, some from the streets some tied to our gates in the night. Imagine how many more confused, depressed animals are out there on the roads, starving and thirsty in the 40 degrees heat.

There is another side to this picture:
Many people come to blue cross shelter pretending that the dog they bring was found at their gate or road. This is to avoid the official fee to abandon a dog under special circumstances. This fee is to cover vaccinations (ARV and 7in 1), the Birth Control operation plus aftercare, antibiotics, all treatments required and of course the cost of daily feeding (Rs.50/day for small and medium dos and Rs.75/day for large dogs.) Many dogs abandoned on the roads are unvaccinated pets and cause havoc with the WHO programme for homeless animals- because they spread distemper , parvo virus and Rabies among genuinely homeless animals not yet brought under the purview of the Animal Birth Control/ Anti Rabies programme.

Callous pet ‘abandoners’ work against all our efforts for Rabies free Hyderabad - and endanger the lives and welfare of under- privileged children in the streets. They are anti social at the core and guilty of contravening The Constitution of India Article 51 A (g)!

We have found so many trying to abandon their own pet that we are compelled to insist that the persons bringing the animals to Blue Cross :-
1. Record the dog as lost and found at their local police station and bring us proof.
2. Sign a Rs.10 Stamp paper of the animal with all details.
3. Contact the Lost dogs organization (Mrs. Protima)
4. Failing all else, go to GHMC Pound.

Let us look now at the moral obligation: A pet is a lifetime family member. If you cannot afford to feed your children, do you throw them out onto the street? No, you adjust your expenses. One good meal is better than three attempts of nutrition! Cheaper foods are often best- spinach, ragi, jower, and soya.

Another factor is laziness and sedentary habits. People don’t want to be up and down walking their dogs, taking them for motions, etc. Some education is needed to manage one’s pet in an apartment. Exercise and encouraging good behaviour, timely sterilisation and vaccination all this helps a pet adjust in an apartment building. We can advise and counsel you on this at the Blue Cross of Hyderabad.

But the real suffers are the family pets who are put out on the street due to old age. Just when they need help the most, after a lifetime of guarding the family, they are left on the street to deal with starvation and territorial street dogs.

And finally the karmic effects of abandoning a dog on the cruel streets must be evident. A race that turns it’s loyal animal out of its home is likely to be abandoned by their own children in old age- it is becoming apparent that this must be true! What more need one say? Please do not abandon your pet and guide others not to either.

An anxious Mrs Babu Rao clucked and fussed around as Dr Saikia attended to their dog Jimmy. Adopted over eight years ago from the Blue Cross as a little 2 month old puppy, the inspiration for adopting a puppy came from a desire for a companion for their growing children. The last eight years have borne testimony that Jimmy lived up to the promise and more. Mrs Babu Rao described at length the trials and tribulations they faced when moving house and taking Jimmy along with them from house to house in the midst of packing and unpacking.

The proud owner Mr Babu Rao, a resident of Miyapur has for years relied on the services of the local government hospital for Jimmy’s regular vaccinations but as age catches up with Jimmy, so do the age related problems. An case of pyorrhea was what brought the couple to Blue Cross after so long. The treatment was done under general anesthesia and the clinic closed for lunch. The lingering image as we all filed out to the lunch room was of Mrs Babu Rao standing anxiously over a still groggy Jimmy in the room adjacent to the clinic.

Her words as recorded in longhand were “Jimmy has been a child to us these last eight years and has made us very happy. We strongly recommend to people to adopt Indian dogs from the Blue Cross."

This is just one of the many pets that have gone to happy homes from the Blue Cross of Hyderabad.

Anyone who has adopted a pet, either from an Animal Welfare organization like ours or directly from the street will tell you this and also that there can be no greater joy than bringing home a ball of life that gives you unconditional and unparalleled love!

We urge and encourage each of you to take an animal home today and experience the joy that so many of us do each day. Come to our shelter, or rescue a pup yourself, have her vaccinated and operated and take her home. Today!!

Why adopt an Indian dog:
- More intelligent than pedigreed dogs
- Better suited to Indian climate and conditions
- Usually short haired, hence easy to maintain
- Affectionate, alert and loyal
- Longer lived than large breeds such as Great Danes, Dalmatians and Mastiffs
- Higher level of immunity to canine diseases

Click here for more information on adopting a pet from us

The animal welfare fortnight is an annual event conducted by Blue Cross Hyderabad in partnership with several other organizations working for animal welfare. The key to the success of this event year after year is the unstinted support extended by Blue Cross’s circle of highly committed volunteers. Starting from 15th January the event ended on the 31st Jan and covered three separate events namely, Animals Rights March, Blue Cross 17th Birthday and Republic Day. As part of the AWF, BCH conducted free animal health check ups and administered Anti rabies vaccines free of cost to pet dogs as well as stray dogs.

Separate camps were held at Sagroli, Gudimalkapur and at the Blue Cross Shelter premises to cater to camels, equines and goats. In total Over 3000 dogs including shelter animals, stray dogs and companion dogs were vaccinated against rabies. Where ever possible, sick dogs, injured and mangy and puppies were caught and taken back to the BCH shelter to be treated accordingly. In addition to the dogs, around 12 cats, 145 goats, 77 cattle, 2 buffaloes, 34 equines, 20 camels, 2 hogs and 45 poultry fowl were de-wormed and given general health checkups.

On the second day of the fortnight, 17th Jan, the Animal rights march was held and the marchers walked from the Bhagyanagar Goushala to Indira park. It was a remarkable event where a number of organizations working towards animal welfare, VSAWRD, PFA, Hyderabad SPCA, a few Jain organizations and some others came together to make a show of strength for a common cause. Different causes were espoused, all connected with furthering the cause of animal welfare. Vegetarianism, Cow shelters, Anti vivisection and anti animal testing

Subsequent feedback collected from people in the areas which benefited from this Blue Cross initiative, suggests that people are beginning to appreciate, in part atleast, some of the valuable community services that Blue Cross provides to the society