Monsoon Missions: Keeping Stray Dogs Safe with Earthlings Trust

Monsoons come as a relief to most of us with the first few rains. The air is chilly, the trees are becoming greener, and the city appears to be vibrating with the beat of the rain. However, to the stray-dog population that roams our streets and is countless in number, monsoon is a time of hardship. There is the image of a small pup, its fur wet with rain, huddling under a broken bench, with water at its feet. Thunder rolls, and she seeks shelter, and something to eat, and a kind word. This happens with millions of street dogs during every monsoon, and Earthlings Trust is working to change that story. This monsoon, and it’s the mission of Earthlings Trust to change that narrative.

The Monsoon Challenge: Why Stray Dogs Suffer

The monsoon, beautiful, is a time of survival for stray animals. Heavy rains flood their usual shelters under cars, makeshift huts, or beneath shop awnings, forcing them into the open. Food becomes scarce as garbage bins overflow with water and street vendors pack up early. The constant dampness leads to skin infections, fungal diseases, and respiratory issues. Puppies and older dogs are especially vulnerable, often falling sick or even succumbing to the harsh conditions.

Stories from the Streets: Realities and Resilience

Imagine, we put ourselves into the paws or shoes, even, of a street dog in the monsoon. A docile brown stray known as Rani has moved around years by a tea stall. The stall owner throws her some bits and she has discovered a warm place behind the counter to sleep. However, once the rains come, the stall closes earlier and the corner floods. Rani gets thrown out and is left to roam around in search of an alternative home. She notices a troop of puppies hiding under a standing automobile, without any kind of mother in sight. She wraps herself round them and gives them of her warmth, but still the rain falls.

These are tales that are enacted on every street of every city every monsoon. Some of the dogs are fortunate to get somewhere where it is not wet; others are not. But we could change their story, couldn’t we?

Community Action: Small Shelters, Big Difference

Animal lovers and organizations all over India are coming forward to assist. At Powai in Mumbai, locals have constructed makeshift rain covers using tarpaulin, discarded advertisement banners and recycles. These simple sheds- actually just a plastic sheet stretched between 2 trees at times- provide a lifeline to the strays in the wettest months. You might think they are not much, but to a dog that is trying to avoid the heavy rain, it is a haven.

Earthlings Trust is another organization which has joined in this movement and it has employed the following volunteers to:

• Construct and maintain makeshift shelters at strategic places particularly around the markets, residential blocks and parks where the strays are the most exposed.
• Provide food and clean water on a daily basis, so that no dog should be hungry or thirsty even during the heavy rain.
• Offer simple healthcare, curing skin infection, injuries, other illness associated with monsoons.
• Save and nurture puppies that once were orphaned or abandoned in dangerous environments providing them with a safe, dry environment during their pre-adoptive or non-retrievable phase.

Discovering the Legal and Policy Hurdles

Street dogs need more than goodwill; it is necessary to know the legal background as well. In places such as Delhi, it is against the law to take off the community dogs of their localities without sterilizing and vaccinating them, upon which, they should be released back to where they found it. This is to discourage upsetting of established ground and also balance between animals and the environment.

The recent court instructions have seen city governments come up with policies on how to rehabilitate community dogs. But according to animal welfare experts, there are no more effective and humane ways than the proper enforcement of Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules and mass education. Earthlings Trust operates within by promoting the following:

• They predetermined feeding sites and the most the residents and feeders would clash.
• The act of encouraging sterilization to keep the stray population at bay is encouraged.
• Campaigns are carried out to educate the community on coexistence and compassion.

Earthlings Trust: Monsoon Missions in Action

Earthlings Trust Volunteers are on the ground this monsoon rain or shine, leaving no dog behind. Our team is an early riser and first in the known hotspots we check for stranded or sick animals. We buy tarpaulins, food packets and first aid kits. When we see a dog suffering we never think of it, we just go ahead and put up a small shelter, feed him and heal the wounds.

We also collaborate with shop owners, and locals, we involve them. Just a single action, such as leaving a cardboard box in an awning or even giving out leftovers, can change the world to the better. Our volunteers keep track of all dogs we assist, and follow legal specifications and make the best possible difference.

And one of the most proud moments of the season was when we saved a litter of puppies which got stuck in a flooded drain. We created a small shelter there with the assistance of local kids and now the pups are being fed and looked after by rotation of the community. Stories such as these remind us that charity is infectious and that when we band together we can endure any storm.

How You Can Help

It is not necessary that you should volunteer full-time to contribute to a change. Here is what you can do to take part in our Monsoon Mission:

• Sponsor a Shelter: Only 500 rs can buy a waterproof shelter to a colony of street dogs. Your donation is used directly in material and setup.
• Participate in a Feeding Drive: Sign on (a day or more) to distribute food and water. It is an interactive way to feel the difference of your work.
• Report Injured or Sick Dogs: Call our helpline to indicate cases of needy animals. Some steps may save lives.
• Be A Voice: Spread awareness of our mission through social media, words with your neighbors and inform your community about the welfare of the street dog.
• Supply Items: Used blankets and tarpaulins can be used as shelters as large cardboard boxes.

The Bigger Picture: Building a Compassionate Community

At Earthlings Trust, we consider that the lives of street dogs indicate the level of human compassion in our society. Monsoon is not only a test of endurance of the animals, but also a test of empathy on the part of the humans around them. In uniting, we are able to make a safer, kinder world in which all living beings can live.

We do not see just the rains. Our mission is to establish a community of people who care about animals and become responsible citizens who take care of street dogs all year round. We are nurturing the seeds of compassion in our future by engaging with them through workshops, school programs and the community event.

Conclusion

Monsoon does not need to be a season of torment on the street dogs. It can be changed into a time of promise and security with caring, community responses, and appropriate knowledge. Earthlings Trust starts a mission with this simple belief in every life: rain or shine. Take part in Our Monsoon Mission- because even on the sea-wettest day every street needs its smidgeon of sunshine.

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