8 Labrador Dogs Dumped At City Shelter In Ahmedabad

Recently, a dog owner dumped 8 Labrador dogs at a city-based shelter, Asha Foundation in Ahmedabad. He claimed that he couldn’t bear their veterinary expenses.

8 Labrador dogs dumped

Harmesh Bhatt, who runs Asha Foundation, said, “A few of the eight Labrador dogs are ill and have got skin infections. We often come across cases where bearing medical costs becomes ‘expensive’ for owners.”

The incident has just uncovered a few dark truths about pet-owners in the city. Estimates by NGOs, voluntary dog rescuers and veterinarians suggest that abandoning pedigree dogs is very common, because the animal suddenly becomes ‘high maintenance’ for owners. Asha Foundation already has a St Bernard, a German Shepherd and a Dachshund, that were dumped there, because of the cost of caring for them.

Himani Mod, a city-based volunteer who rescues dogs and facilitates their adoption said,”The dog suddenly becomes too expensive for them or too big or too hard to train and too old or no more cute. The reasons are endless. I have now been attending to at least 20 such cases every month, when exotic breed dogs being abandoned on streets in poor medical conditions. For instance, we found a Saint Bernard tied to a tree at the roadside and it had gotten infected with maggots. We got it treated but it is difficult to get fully grown dogs adopted.”

Veterinarian claims

Even veterinarian claim that people often get exotic breeds such as Saint Bernard, Siberian husky, Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso, among others, which are accustomed to colder climates. They cannot bear the city’s extreme heat and fall ill.

Dr Deepika Rishi, a city-based veterinary doctor said,”Heat stress often causes severe skin diseases, respiratory problems and loss of appetite among dogs. A few dog owners stop the necessary medication and treatment due to which the animal dies.”

“One must get never such exotic breeds, because they aren’t accustomed to the Indian climate. It becomes expensive for pet owners but more so it is unhealthy for the animal,” said by a city-based vet, Dr Tina Giri.

Source: The Times Of India

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