How do we decide whether to keep or to release?

When a dog is back on its paws after being rehabilitated, we have a big decision to make. Do we keep them in the sanctuary or return them to the streets? In reality, we don’t make the decision. Other dogs make it for us.

Adult Dogs

Once an adult dog is healthy, we try to return them to their neighborhood. In India, the adoption rate for adult native dogs is zero, so it’s not something we hold out hope for. If rehabilitation took a long time, a rehab dog’s pack might have forgotten them. A dog without a pack won’t survive.

If the pack accepts them, we let them go. They’ll get back to their lives newly vaccinated, sterilized, and rehabbed. If the pack doesn’t accept them, we welcome them to the sanctuary to live out their lives.

Puppies

With puppies, it’s more complicated. 40-75 days old is when a puppy has the best chance of being adopted. Since there’s no guarantee of adoption, we have to plan on returning the puppy to their mother. Puppies, like children, must be taught to survive, and this is a critical period.

As soon as the puppy is healthy, we locate their mother and make sure she’ll accept them. If she does, we return to sterilize them once they’re old enough. In the sad case that the mother refuses them, we try to get them adopted. If that doesn’t work out, they become permanent residents of the sanctuary.

Knowing Your Neighbor

With tens of thousands of dogs on Hyderabad’s streets, reuniting them with their mothers or packs takes help from folks in the neighborhood. Without animal lovers on the community level, we wouldn’t be able to do our work. All our gratitude to them.

How to Help

Please keep learning about the lives of India’s strays. Any donation you can make will be greatly appreciated.