Hi! Pictured is clover, Clover is a wild puppy living from scraps outside of a beach cafe in gokarna, India. were not sure how she managed to survive the first few months of her life as most puppies here are thrown into the sea or the jungle by the locals but i guess she is a stealth little girl. Yesterday i was able to take her to the animal welfare protection societe gokarna for her rabies and vaccination jabs and to be castrated and now she has a really good chance of surviving the monsoon here. The organisation is run solely by one woman, Denise Das and she has been doing this work here now for 10 years. According to Denise each female puppy gives birth twice a year to 5-6 pups and if they survive then too many wild dog packs can be dangerous and locals will use sticks and rocks to keep them under control. The intention with this work is that with less dogs here, they can have an enhanced way of life and after castration, their behaviour is improved and they become safer to co-habit the busy streets and beaches here. It’s important work and it’s done on almost no money at all.

Dr Vijay comes here from his private clinic in Mumbai for 7 days a year and intensely operates on the dogs all day everyday and today I only saw him stop a few times for a cup of chai and a quick chat before the next dog was on the table. His love for the species and for the lives of these dogs is palpable when he speaks and he says continually that he owes it all to Denise and her ‘good work’

I was incredibly humbled by what I experienced today: 20 dogs castrated in no more than 7 hours by two pairs of extremely skilled hands with honour and compassion for each street dog no matter how gnarly or weathered. 4 amazing male nurses offering anaesthetic and vaccinations with full focus and attention in 32 degrees heat on the terrace of a makeshift 1 room surgery. And then there were the women, Denise overseeing everything and making sure it all goes as it should while guiding us, the volunteers, who spent our day comforting the dogs as they waited for their turn or as they came- to. It’s not a glamorous job, we were working on the floor which by the end was covered in piss and vomit, the dogs all lined up in the corner of the room while they came back from the anaesthesia... the ‘waiting’ dogs watched on. It’s far from ideal, no dog lover would have taken any pleasure from this day, it’s dirty and precarious and thankless but so important to the livelihood of these beautiful beasts and so heartwarming to see that there are people in the world like Denise and dr vishnay who are willing to do it.

I am leaving here in 3-4 days as soon as the puppies are healed so i am setting this up with the aim of providing some funding to the charity in cash before i leave. it costs 1500 rupees, approx. £16 to pay for one dog to be treated but no donation is too small, it all adds up!

please consider donating even a small amount in the knowledge that every penny of the money you invest in these beautiful dogs will be used to help improve the lives of these creatures.

better behaved dogs here in smaller amounts make it easier for them to live amongst the people and in turn, over time can help to improve the way they are treated by the locals long term.

Thank you so much for listening and hopefully investing in this cause

💛🐶💛