Multiple non-government organisations came together to rescue dogs from an unauthorised establishment in a collective raid with the Thane police. 12 dogs including 10 foreign breeds were held captive for commercial purposes at an illegal establishment without basic amenities for the animals.
On Friday, volunteers from Citizens for Animal Protection Foundation (CAP) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) raided an illegal establishment set up in the Hariom Nagar in Thane (E), where multiple dogs were held in depriving conditions. PETA had shared the information about the illegal shelter to the animal welfare officer appointed by the Bombay High Court, after which a volunteer from CAP had visited the shelter in guise of being a customer.
According to the activists, the operator of the illegal shelter claimed that he supplied dogs to security agencies but had kept them in cages without basic amenities. The volunteers also said that the dogs were not provided enough water and were given stale food while living without proper light and ventilation. Reporting about the conditions to PETA, the volunteers decided to raid the shelter along with the police.
Sashank Tomar, animal welfare officer, told the Free Press Journal that, “We had to delay the raid for a few days due to rains but in the meantime, we received a video which showed the dogs frenching in the rain. We could not let the dogs live in such pathetic conditions therefore we decided to conduct the raid on an immediate basis.”
During the raid conducted on Friday along with the Thane Police, the activists found 12 dogs including Labradors, Rottweiler, Shih Tzu, Belgian Shepherd and 2 Indie dogs. The operator was found to be running the shelter without any authorisation for sale of dogs or a lease of the land. The operator wilfully surrendered the dogs after the activists offered to not file a complaint against him under animal cruelty.
The rescued dogs were sent to Kalote Animal Trust shelter while three dogs were sent to CAP for treatment as two Indie dogs suffered from jaundice and another dog showed aggression because of living under lack of basic amenities.
“The rescued dogs involved a lot of foreign breeds which are high maintenance as they need a lot of care. Instead, these dogs were not even provided basic amenities to survive. Establishments like these are illegal, and no one can work with live animals without people's permission and licence from the relevant authorities,” said Tomar.
