“My mother always taught me to care for other beings too. The culture and understanding I grew up with made me an animal lover. Thus, my biggest dream was to start an Animal Rescue Center when I grow up.” – Shreejana Thakuri, Shree’s Animal Rescue Nepal.
Street dogs and stray dogs are often considered the same but there is a very thin line between stray and street dogs. Stray dogs are those born and raised in the streets with no owner, whereas street dogs are the ones who once had owners but later ended up in the streets. Either way, life is really tough for both kinds. Street dogs are often the object for many to frown upon. They are neglected, kicked and chased away almost everywhere as they are known to carry deadly diseases such as rabies and other infectious bacteria. There have been several efforts from the government and private organizations to solve street dog-related issues but the impact seems minimal. It is because there are just too many street dogs to deal with.
One of the private organizations working on such matter is Shree’s Animal Rescue Nepal, which have rescued street dogs in need of appropriate care and proper sheltering. For the last three years, the animal center has rescued, treated and provided shelter for more than 200 dogs.
Shreejana Thakuri, founder of Shree Animal Rescue Nepal explains, “My mother always taught me to care for other beings too. The culture and understanding I grew up with made me an animal lover. Thus, my biggest dream was to start an Animal Rescue Center when I grow up.”
She said, “The main reason that street dogs problem keeps growing is that the dogs aren’t all neutered. A dog can reproduce twice a year with an average of 5 puppies at a time. No wonder there is an ever-growing problem regarding street dogs in Kathmandu valley.”
Another reason which is often unnoticed is that some owners leave their dogs on the streets on their own. Leaving owned dogs by themselves happens for various reasons but the most obvious one is because the dog gets old and needs more care. And not everyone wants to deal with an old dog which is why they end up in the streets.
Life in the streets is really tough for stray dogs whereas it is unimaginable for those dogs left by their owners. Huge competition for mating and food in the streets always causes fights among dogs. The bigger the number of street dogs directly contributes to the greater problem.
Shreejana Thakuri has dedicated her life to the care and rescue of street dogs. In the process, she sold five houses and spent it all on the treatment and sheltering of rescued dogs. For the past two years, Shreejana took the dogs to private veterinaries for treatment. The treatment was satisfactory but very costly. Therefore, finding a
a cost-effective solution, Shree’s Animal Rescue Nepal has started a medical care facility within the shelter from this year. The facility is currently dealing with primary care as well as surgical care by doctors coming for treatment regularly. Having a medical facility has proven highly beneficial for the rescue center in terms of finance and comfort. Due to this more street dogs will surely find a new home to live in. However, there are still thousands of stray dogs in need of shelter and the task is just too much for Shree’s Animal rescue Nepal and other similar organizations. Thus, the government, Animal rescue organizations and the general public need to work together to eliminate those issues regarding street dogs while making the streets safer for all.