Rekindle Your Love For Stray Dogs With ‘Mongrels Of India’

The page is a part of a project, which hopes to change the negative perception of people about the mongrels.

Inspired by Humans of New York, 25-year-old Arpita Rao started a Facebook page and an Instagram account with the aim of evoking compassion for the furry creatures.

The page is a part of a project called “Mongrels of India”, which hopes to change the negative perception of people about the mongrels.

Amidst horrific stories of stray dogs being killed and attacked across India, the project hopes to kindle some love in the hearts of people for the stray dogs.

Oh nothing to see here, just a carton full of puppies I rescued today. My babies <3 😘 🐕🐕🐕 #mongrelsofindia #moi #mongrels #dogsofinstagram #dogs #puppiesofinstagram #dogsofindia #stray #encourageadoption #adoptdontshop #withyoualways

A photo posted by Mongrels of India (@mongrelsofindia) on Oct 5, 2016 at 7:58am PDT

How it all Began

Rao started the Facebook page which showcased pictures of strays that she had taken during her many travels.

However, it now focusses on crowd-sourced stories of Indians who adopted stray dogs. Eventually, the Hyderabad resident hopes to create a database which will help animal lovers help and rescue strays. The page will also collaborate with rescue centres to help adoption efforts and find homes for stray dogs.

Stories

The page has stories of Tamara Lopez, a Mumbai local who has adopted three dogs, all of which were either neglected or sick. She took them in and has made them a part of her family for many years now.

"People think that dogs are aggressive, but they are just defending themselves. Not all of them mean to bite you," Rao says.

The page also features stories that try to dispel bias against mongrels and the preference given to pedigreed dogs.

It's true that dogs see life in color. But it's a fact that they make us see life in technicolor. @nanditanarayan Thanks for sending us a picture of this beauty. #mongrelsofindia #moi #encourageadoption #withyoutillyoudie #dogsofinstagram #beach

A photo posted by Mongrels of India (@mongrelsofindia) on Sep 27, 2016 at 8:33am PDT

Delhi-based Puneeta Singh writes about how she ended up with her pet Mylo unexpectedly. Mylo was originally been adopted by her friend but was rejected by her family and the vet for being 'unsafe'.

When Singh took the dog back to a rescue centre, she discovered he had been returned after adoption ten times. It was then that she decided to keep him.

Mylo was adopted by one of my neighbours, they wanted a dog and I helped them out. She selected Mylo and went to bring him in. On the same night she called up saying that her husband thinks stray dogs can be dangerous for their daughter. I was stunned. 12 o clock in the night I went to her house and she said her friend and the family vet had advised against Mylo and that they should keep a pure breed. I was amazed with all the comments. Took Mylo back home and I was thinking what to do next. We went to return him to the place we got him from. I found out that Mylo is being returned for the 10th time. That's it. I decided to keep him, even though it wasn't the right time to have a dog since my mother in law was very very ill. I convinced my husband that I would like to foster Mylo for few days, and he agreed. Within a few days I managed to convince my husband. Although it was very difficult, we made it happen. And so, we have Mylo today. Story by : Puneeta Singh #mongrelsofindia #moi #humansofindia #dogsofinstagram #dogsofindia #strays #mongrels #adoptdontshop #encourageadoption #dogs

A photo posted by Mongrels of India (@mongrelsofindia) on Oct 4, 2016 at 5:33am PDT

Our first, Pepper, is from my university campus in Navi Mumbai. She was the runt of the litter, about a month old, covered in fleas,ticks, ants and lice, lying in a marsh, hardly moving. From the day we got her into our home things turned around for her and she is now a beautiful 11 year old. No one will look at her and say she's 11 going on 12. She looks so young and for her age very sprightly! Next was Lizzy. An abused stray pup (thrown on the street because she was a mixed Labrador and not a pure Labrador ), she was all alone and scared and slept underneath a sugarcane cart. She lived on juice which the vendor would feed her out of pity. When we finally brought her home, she was thrilled to be here and till date she is reluctant to leave the house even for her walks. She loves chilling in her sofa! A couple of years later, one of the dogs my parents used to feed on their daily dog feeding rounds(they still do), followed them home. She wanted to be part of the family and didn't give up. She sat outside our building on the road come rain or shine, day and night, sometimes even when she was soaking wet in the rain. Our hearts melted and that's how she become our third baby, Doofus. They are all senior dogs now and I can vouch for the fact that stray/indian breed dogs have little to no health problems, do not require specialized training/trainers and are much lower maintenance than any purebred dog. They bring us nothing but love and joy. Story by : Tamara Lopez #mongrelsofindia #moi #dogsofindia #dogsofinsta #mongrels #flufferpower #withyoualways #adoptdontshop #encourageadoption #dogs

A photo posted by Mongrels of India (@mongrelsofindia) on Oct 3, 2016 at 5:34am PDT

It is through stories like these that 'Mongrels of India' hopes to bring about change. "They are all old dogs now and I can vouch for the fact that Indian breed dogs have little to no health problems, do not require specialised training and are much lower maintenance than any pure-bred dog," Lopez says about her three pets on Facebook.

(Source: The Huffington Post.)