When the world shut down in response to COVID-19, many misfortunes befell the population — hospitalisation, deaths of near ones, struggles to get essentials etc. But while the concentration was on the humans, the other sufferers — animals – went unnoticed. Due to the misinformation that animals can be potential coronavirus carriers and can transmit the virus to human beings, many pet owners started abandoning their four-legged family members. However, a statement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) clearly mentions that so far, there’s no evidence that pets can transmit the virus to people.
Genuine people always find a way to give love and support to animals. A few such people made the decision to welcome dogs in their homes during lockdown. They share their views and how their lives changed post-adoption.
RIGHT INTENTION IS ENOUGH
Eva Roger from Udhampur, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, showed that you only need the right intention to give love — gender, colour, breed nothing matters. The nine-year-old who adopted a street puppy recently, says, “One day, my friend Ana and I were playing outside when she spotted a puppy and picked it up. She said, “This is our dog.” But because she already has a dog at her place, she couldn’t take him in. So I took him home.”
She named the one-month-old puppy Cookie. It is her very first pet and she’s taking good care of him. “I get up early, feed him milk and then he goes back to sleep. He wakes up at around 11 am, and then we play together,” the happy girl says.
ABILITY COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
Telling us how this adoption has changed the girl’s life, her mother Sojia Joseph says that Eva is a single child who spent most of her time watching TV.
“Nowadays, however, she has stopped watching television. Earlier, I used to go office and call my househelp to wake her up. But now, Eva gets up before I do. As soon as Cookie makes some noise, be it at 5, 5.30 or 6 in the morning, she’ll get up and feed him. At night, she goes to bed ensuring he’s eaten well and is sleeping. She has become more caring and responsible at such a young age,” says her proud mother.
Her mother was never hesitant to welcome a new member to their family. “Eva always wanted a pet and we were actually planning to have a Beagle. But due to some reason, we couldn’t. So when she got Cookie, I told her she could keep it,” says the mother.
ADOPTION FOR LIFE
Himani Jain (21) from Pune was going through a page where she happened to find out that a puppy was up for adoption. Without a second thought, she went for it. “The puppy is 3.5 months old female street dog. I asked a member of the group named Nikhil if the pup was available for adoption and he said yes,” says Jain, a well-read person.
She says that according to the news and WHO, it is not yet proven that humans can get affected through a pet. And it didn’t bother her. But her parents were not comfortable initially. “At first, they were suspicious because I was getting the dog free of cost. They were also worried about COVID, but I made it clear to them that nothing wrong is going to happen. This puppy is completely safe to adopt. Also, in the future, she is going to stay with us, which brings down the chances of her getting infected with anything to zero,” recalls the girl.
“When we received the pup, my brother and I started planning to set her bed, wondering what would be the right foods to feed her, which all vaccines she needs, and many other things. As it is my first pet, I am very curious and exploring new things with her,” Jain says, adding that she is fully aware that a life is dependent on her from now on. And that thought makes her a more responsible person.
FAMILY FOR LIFE
Sheetal Monga, a pet parent, and a hardcore pet lover says that when COVID 19 was spreading and lockdown was starting off, she adopted a new pet from Baner hills where she, her husband and her two-year-old pet Noyal (rescued from street) used to go for hiking.
“We named our new pet Pride. As we used to go to the hill every day, Noyal had become friends with the pup. They used to play together. The construction workers living there used to take care of her. However, when they all started to go back to their native places, we knew she wouldn’t survive. So we made the decision to get her home,” says Monga. She is happy that she didn’t only give Pride a home but a family for life.
LIVE IN THE MOMENT
She adds, “Before adopting Pride, we took all necessary steps. We got her neutered. Now, as far as the spread of Covid is concerned, firstly, it is a human to human transmission and besides that, if we take proper care, we are safe.”
Telling us how Pride changed their life, Monga says, “She brought so much of positive energy with her. She is quite younger to Noyal, therefore, she is always ready to play. It has made us more active. What I’m actually learning from her is to live the moment.
“Actually, we took away her freedom in a way. She was living on a hill, she would go play around anytime but now she’s living in a confined place with us. However, it never shows that she’s missing anything in her life. She is always so happy, enjoying every moment of her new life. She has taught me that no matter what the situation is, we should live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest, rather than thinking about what is going to happen in the future, or how our past was. This is a very big life lesson that she has taught me,” the girl concludes.