Mumbai: In a special drive, aimed at safeguarding our community's street dogs during Diwali, as local citizens from Bandra, Khar, Santacruz light firecrackers along Carter Road in Bandra as it has open spaces and is also homi to many indie street dogs, Planet for Plants and Animals (PPA INDIA) and Pawfriend, the two organizations have joined forces.
They are equipping community dogs with reflective collars & QR tags, which will help if the dogs wander away or become disoriented while seeking refuge in other areas.
Each reflective collar has the contact details PPA India & the QR code has the details fed by the local feeder through the pawfriend.in website.
The two young and passionate animal lovers have taken the lead. Saakshi Teckchandani, aged 23 and the founder of PPA India, and Akshay Ridhlan, also aged 23 and the founder of Pawfriend.in. Together, they are working tirelessly to safeguard Indies (Indian street dogs) by providing them with custom-designed reflective collars adorned with QR tags.
As enthusiastic advocates for animal welfare, Saakshi and Akshay have combined their energy and dedication to ensure the safety and well-being of these beloved four-legged companions. With their collaborative efforts, they aim to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these street dogs.
PPA India has procured 5,000 customised reflective collars with plans to launch phase 2 of the initiative nationwide next month through its stray feeders network pan India to help curb stray dog accidents on roads & highways & to help detect them incase they get lost.
Mumbai North Central MP, Ms. Poonam Mahajan said, "As we illuminate our lives this Diwali, it's vital to ensure the safety and well-being of our community's street dogs. The Reflective Collaring & QR Tagging initiative, a commendable effort by PPA India and Pawfriend.in, not only protects these animals but also strengthens the bond between humans and our four-legged friends. I am proud to support this initiative, which reflects our collective responsibility towards the compassionate and safe coexistence with all beings."
Saakshi Teckchandani, Founder PPA India, Said "Every year residents across Bandra West come & burn fire crackers on Carter road as it is an open area by the sea side on one side. Rockets & bombs are burned here due to which the street dogs of Carter road get displaced & lost trying to hide & run to other areas, lanes. So the idea of this initiative is to take a precautionary measure help detect the dogs, if dogs are lost, any feeder or citizen dog lover can contact our organisation by viewing the label on the reflective collar or scan the QR tag on the reflective collar and contact the number given in the details.
Dogs hear much higher pitches than humans can and the spectrum of what they hear is much broader than humans & hence have very sensitive ears."
Akshay Ridhlan, Founder Pawfriend.in said " This collaboration between PPA India and pawfriend.in under the guidance of Smt. Poonam Mahajan ji, will help us to create more awareness and reach out to citizens at large about the diwali celebration with the community animals around them. These QR tags with reflective collars will help the dogs to reunite with their caregivers during the diwali festival".
The initiative was supported & attended by MP Smt. Poonam Mahajan who is a passionate animal lover & the Parliamentarian who proposed an amendment in the Prevention of animal cruelty act to make punishment stricter. Ms. Mahajan along with her young daughter Avika also collared the community dogs along with Saakshi, Akshay & the volunteers.
-Saakshi Teckchandani (Founder Planet for Plants & Animals)
-Akshay Ridhlan (Founder Pawfriend.in)
