Indians dogged by lockdown loneliness adopt puppies and stray mongrels as they turn to animal companions
- India has been under lockdown for months and when restrictions partially eased, there was a rush to adopt puppies to ease anxiety
- Shelter owners say younger people are more willing to adopt street dogs, and demand for training has risen
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When Lakshmi Sundar brought a malnourished stray puppy into her home in the Indian city of Chennai, she thought the brown-and-white bundle of energy would be a guest for just a few weeks.
She says no one in the house wanted to give Meenakshi to another family. “And she has had a very calming effect on my daughter.”
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Dogged by Covid-19 lockdown loneliness, more Indians adopt puppies
“When the lockdown was opened partially, people were rushing and coming to take puppies,” Dawn William of the Blue Cross of India animal welfare group in Chennai said. In the first half of August, 68 puppies were adopted from the group’s shelter.
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“There are people and children who have time to spend with a pet. You know you have to care for it, you have to give him a bath, you have to play with him … so it keeps you going.”
India has an estimated 30 million stray dogs, and animal activists have long encouraged people to adopt mongrels. But while the growing middle class is becoming more open to having street dogs as pets, many still prefer pedigrees, which are more of a status symbol.
Shelter owners say, however, that there has been a cultural shift – with younger people more willing to adopt stray mongrels.
“A pet just helps a lot because they’re supposed to be providing unconditional love,” Katiyar said, adding that the number of calls for his services has jumped from one per day to seven in recent months.
One of Katiyar’s regular customers is Avani Naresh, 29, an IT business owner who had a lifelong fear of dogs. Eager to overcome his phobia, he sought Katiyar’s help last year and slowly learned to become comfortable around dogs. When the pandemic hit, the cafe shut and Naresh – unable to have a pet, as he splits his time between Delhi and Gurgaon – realised he missed the animals he used to run away from.
“A dog can be a big, big game-changer in terms of an emotional journey. A dog absorbs your entire stress. They understand … what you are going through,” Naresh said.
