India’s largest hospital for dogs could be a reality through VOSD

Join Voice Of Stray Dogs’ mission to give sick and injured street dogs medical care and love

ANYONE with a dog will affirm that every time they get home, the most thrilled to see them is their pooch. Dogs are truly a human’s best friend, acting as natural alarm systems, trackers, guides, guards, therapists and companions. In recognition of this special bond, VOSD or Voice of Stray Dogs is building a multispecialty hospital for dogs, where they will be given the same dignity in care as humans.

But it’s a dog’s life
A well known theory suggests animals are a source of support and companionship, necessary for our well-being. Another study by J S J Odendaal, showed that when humans pet dogs, their bodies release oxytocin, the hormone associated with happiness. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, canines are being used to sniff out the presence of this virus in humans. In India too, the Army is training a special unit of sniffer dogs to do this.

A recent DNA study revealed that our relationship with these four-legged friends is more than 30,000 years old. Yet, there are countless daily instances of animal cruelty where street dogs and strays are abused, tortured, maimed or killed. In a heart-wrenching incident in Mumbai, a stray dog was tied to a vehicle and dragged to its death. It was later found with its neck twisted, eyeballs popping out and blood dripping from different body parts. Another shocking act of cruelty was when the people of Telladevarapalli village in Telangana poisoned and killed 50 stray dogs.

In 2017, a medical student in Chennai flung a dog from the rooftop of a building and his friend filmed the entire act. In another gruesome incident, a woman in Bangalore threw a litter of puppies on a boulder that smashed their skulls. Sadly, both the perpetrators got out on bail after a petty fine.

This is the plight of stray dogs in our country, an estimated 35 million. Even in the largest shelters, thousands of stray dogs are ‘put to sleep’ (euthanised) each year, because of the extensive effort and high expense to keep injured or paralysed dogs alive. 

VOSD – A safe haven for strays
Moved by the suffering of stray dogs, Rakesh Shukla decided to treat, protect and care for homeless canines through his NGO – the Voice of Stray Dogs (VOSD). VOSD provides a home to abandoned, injured and sick strays. The software engineer put his life’s savings into building a care home for dogs who have been run over and paralysed, sexually assaulted, slashed with knives, blinded or tied to train tracks to die. 

The Voice of Stray Dogs – VOSD SANCTUARY™ near Bangalore, is the world’s largest no-kill dog sanctuary with a world-class residential hospital. It has helped 8,000+ critically injured and abandoned dogs from over 30+ cities across India and has administered more than 250,000 treatments. It also has hundreds of permanent resident dogs.

Rakesh founded VOSD with a dream to ensure that every stray dog in need of medical care and protection should get it. It works on the principle that no dog will ever be euthanised because of lack of space, money or resources. What started with two rescued dogs initially has grown into the world’s largest rescue home and shelter. 

Now he is on a bigger mission to save more dogs by building a super specialty hospital with advanced equipment and top veterinary surgeons for all canines, where strays will be treated for free. However, he can’t do it alone and appeals to our intrinsic humaneness to help him accomplish this goal.

Support VOSD and become a dog’s best friend
“We all love dogs but loving alone is not going to save them, we must act,” says Rakesh.  It is not easy to do what the team at VOSD does every day. They need our support and funds to take care of abused and helpless dogs who are in need of urgent treatment and rehabilitation. Join their mission to build the world’s first and largest non-profit specialty hospital for dogs.

Your support will ensure many more of our canine friends who are suffering and face imminent death are saved. Animals too deserve a long and joyful life just like any human being. Be part of this noble initiative. Donate now to ensure that they can continue to do the good work.

———–
Established in 2000, Give is the largest and most trusted giving platform in India. Our community of 2.6M+ donors have supported 2,800+ nonprofits, impacting 15M+ lives across India.

Samar Hafeez

Samar is a Marcoms specialist and freelance writer. She has a master’s in marketing and creativity from ESCP Business School. She is an avid traveller and likes to write about technology, travel, wildlife and sustainability.