10 Reasons to adopt an Older Dog

A pet is an integral part of a family. It brings about great bonding and attachment between the members of a family. However, getting the right pet for your family is an important decision which needs to be taken with a lot of thought and care. Adopting a pet is always the right way to go over purchasing an animal from a breeder. Streets and shelters are brimming with animals waiting to get adopted. Be it a breed or a stray dog, the older ones are mostly left behind.

Here are some of the advantages of adopting adult dogs -  

1. Tried and Tested Models

Most adult dogs have an understanding of basic commands. Actions such as sit, stay, no and the like are easily understood by them.

2. No Seek and Destroy

They have normally passed the teething stage and are less likely to be destructive and destroy your house. Rest assured, your shoes and rugs will not go missing and your furniture will not be chewed upon.

3. A nose which can see is better than two sniffing noses

Your house will definitely not smell like a toilet. Adult dogs normally have set schedules which they have been following for years. However, the owner does have the responsibility of understanding the timings at which the dog wants to relieve himself. Older dogs adjust to new schedules easily as well.

4. Take the Time

Adult dogs are more adjusting to hectic job schedules as well. They tend to be calmer and less disturbed when left alone for even a short period of time as compared to puppies who cannot be left unattended especially during the growing phase.

5. A friend in need, is a friend indeed

Older dogs make great companions. You can watch a movie in peace with them .

6. Walk the talk

Adult dogs can go on long walks without much trouble. If you feel you are chubby and need to lose some weight, take home an older dog as a jogging buddy and your dog will definitely act as your trainer, not just your companion.

7. What you see is what you get!

Dogs finish their growth phase by about 18 - 24 months. They reach their full size at this age. When you adopt an adult dog you know for sure that what you see is what you get. You can judge if the dog’s size is correct for your home and if your family will be able to handle him without too much trouble.

8. High Resistance Power, Low Budget.

A healthy adult dog is not as susceptible to diseases as puppies. They have stronger immune systems. Vet visits are far lesser in case of healthy adult dogs. This obviously means that the cost of maintaining an adult dog is lesser and you can even calculate this cost on a monthly basis even before adopting one.

9. The Non Explorer

Small puppies have a tendency to explore and welcome each guest at the door. If you would like to have a dog which is more under control and does not jump on every guest who comes in, an older dog is the one for you.

10. Adult Guard Dogs

Adult guard dogs know their job well. They have a better judgement of people and are really good at sensing criminal behaviour as well.

There is a unique sense of pride and a feel good factor associated with adopting an older dog who needs a home. The dog is more patient and understanding, sociable and adjusting. 

Sometimes, they can surprise you by the amount they will teach you about life. An older dog is much wiser than even the owner sometimes.



The article is co authored by Aditi Nair and Eden Dias from PAL. The pictures are by PAL Photographer Manaswini Shetye assisted by Simran Rohra. 

A feature write up on Pet Owners and Animal Lovers PAL by Ayesha John Kelshikar

Stray Animals to be Cared for….
The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different. Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character. Animals are a source of joy and happiness. Though they cannot speak but they express a lot through their actions. We as humans must respect everything thing that lives and continue to do our bit for them.

Birth of PAL
Aditi Nair, the founder of Pet owners and Animal Lovers Foundation (PAL) started the concept of an NGO while she was pursuing her MBA. Her passion and love for animals has made her a pal to the animals who don’t get the love they deserve. Her research on the pet sector made her realize there are lot of strays who do not receive attention. She visited a number of states to research on the same and did a lot of volunteer work. She was also a part of the Tata Jagriti Yatra where she had an opportunity to understand how various organisations work. Starting from Kerala, she moved to Karnataka, Goa, Orissa, Rajasthan and many more to learn and research about animal shelters across India.
“After I came back to Mumbai, I realized I have to start something by myself to give these animals a better life to live” the words quoted by Aditi.
PAL started in November 2010 and got registered in the year 2014.It started as a small group and a number of Facebook events which encouraged people to join the movement. It started with events then moved on to rescues, adoptions and awareness programs.

Hierarchy of the organization
PAL’s model of running is very different from that of the other NGOs. It’s more of a volunteer based model. The board and trust have eight members but the volunteers are more than hundred. Aditi is the chair person, Dr. Arundati Nair is the vice chairperson, Dr. Hemant Thange is the secretary, Neha Dabir is the head of adoptions and Nishant Bangera is the spokesperson. PAL does its publicity mostly through Facebook and word of mouth.

Outstanding events ….
“Our focus is more on awareness and to create a human - animal bond which will give the animals a better world to live in” quoted by Aditi.
PAL has done 7000 rescues, 600 adoption and above 100 awareness programs in schools and colleges like Billabong International School, Father Agnel Ashram, Welingkar, Bhartiya vidyapeeth, etc. PAL works in many sectors like rescue, adoptions, awareness programs as well as the medical sector. It even tries to handle cruelty cases in case possible.
Bringing a change and creating an awareness in the peoples is their main forte.
PAL has helped to change the mindset of people by encouraging them to try having a pet at home by the concept of Foster an animal for few days. This help the people to get over their animal fears.

PAL Members at a Vaccination Camp in Matunga, Mumbai

Nandini, a 13 years old is  one of the volunteers of PAL as well as an adopter of Rex who is a cross breed dog has given her views by saying “ Before being associated with PAL officially, I had heard about them through social media. I witnessed their forwarded posts and started following them
on Facebook. I adopted Rex from them. Rex was rescued by Neha Dabir and after his treatment, I decided to adopt him and give him a home. Neha guided me and helped me as I have never had a pet before. After a complete house check and acceptance of my family Neha handed me Rex’s custody. She even helped me with the registration and now I am a happy parent of Rex Kannan who is a part of my small family”.

Backlogs….
Though PAL is a very efficient NGO in Thane city it’s still has some negative aspects. PAL is only working in Thane city and the rescues, feeding programs, events are restricted to Thane City. They do not take up cruelty as their main forte as they do not have any legal advisors to handle such cases. One of the volunteers Viraj Sawant has said “PAL is mostly active only in Vasant Vihar, Sidhachal, Upvan and nearby places .They are not able to stretch to other areas because of the lack of volunteers. A committed team is a backlog for the NGO. PAL also has a shortage of funds because of which they cannot tap many areas.”
Unless people take up responsibility these backlogs cannot be overcome. According to Aditi funds are very important for an NGO to achieve it's objectives. Aditi’s solution to these backlogs is to arrange more events which will encourage people to join in and become a volunteer and increase the volunteer base to be able to expand operations.

PAL Team after running a marathon to raise awareness for animals

Future Growth Aspects
As they are just a five year old organization there are a lot of growth aspects which can be considered for the future. Expanding their jurisdiction from Thane to other places in Mumbai and rural areas is one of their future plans. “Rural area is one such area which is never tapped by anyone. It’s our motive to educate the people of the rural area and give the animals a better life in those areas” a thoughtful future plan by Aditi. Apart from  expansion, tapping other aspects such as cruelty is also one of the future plans. Building up a powerful organization and helping to spread awareness at larger scales is one of their main motives.

Love for animals..
“Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened” - Anatole France. Our small furry friends should be cared for and treated well, this is the main motive of PAL. Animals are very faithful and loyal. Animals come from nature. They are not designed by man.

The article is written by one of the PAL Members, Ayesha John Kelshikar. Ayesha is 22 years old and studying MBA in Whistling Woods International. Her family is a foster family with PAL and she volunteers for all the PAL events regularly. She is also currently pursuing a managerial internship with the NGO. 

BE A SUPERHERO TODAY

We all love superheroes. All the love and admiration that we have for them is just beyond the highs of the sky. So, what would you do if you got a chance to be someone’s superhero? You all are probably raising your eyebrows to that. But yes my friend, you can be someone’s hero!

Jones and Manaswini - Picture by Shivani Dugha Now the question arises as to how one becomes a superhero. The answer is simple – SAVE A LIFE. You don’t have to hold an entire stadium over your head or have a cape around your neck to save lives. You just need to give a homeless animal a place in your heart and your home (food and water too!) By giving it a shelter, you’re not only saving its life, but changing its world completely. And that makes you a superhero, his/her superhero.

PAL Adoption Camp - Picture by Manaswini Shetye

There are thousands of abandoned animals, animals that are looking for a home where they will be loved and respected. And only you can help them get that. The suffering that puppy and kitten mills propagate are not common knowledge and hence some of us even today look at buying a pet as an option. Once we understand the truth behind these immoral practices, we as ethical people will automatically choose to Adopt! It is our responsibility to help our four legged companions and moreover, help ourselves.

Varenya Vaish and Jerry at the PAL Adoption camp - Picture by Manaswini Shetye

Pets can be great healers. They are miracle with paws. They are the best friends you can ever have – no questions, no criticisms. From being the smallest of your family members to being a psychiatrist, they can be anything and everything you want them to be. There's nothing else we can ever ask for.

A lot of people stand in dilemma between buying and adoption. Since they have very limited knowledge about adoption and fostering, they resolve for buying. However, it is always better to opt for adoption because, for starters, no amount of money can value a life. We do not go to a shop to ‘buy’ a baby when we wish to have one. Then why do it for the animals? There are a million reasons why you should adopt a pet rather than buying one. The most obvious ones are that you are not just saving one, but two lives.

Picture by Manaswini Shetye

One. By adopting or fostering a pet in need and giving him the happiness of his life.

Emily is an abandoned spitz - rehomed through PAL adoption camp
PC - Manaswini Shetye

Two. By adopting a pet who is already been brought into this world, you are reducing the demand for pets from the mills, thus reducing the suffering of the animals who are forced to meet the demands. 

“Breeders cannot be solely blamed,” explains Manaswini Shetye, core committee member of the Pet Owners and Animal Lovers Foundation (PAL). “Once people know about adoption, they start criticizing the breeders. However, they cannot be solely blamed. As long as there’s a demand for specifications in a pet, breeders will exist. It is like being in India and demanding to buy a kid of American descent - outright racism, if you ask me.”

LUNA the great dane is a handicapped because she was ill treated by a breeder.

Also, by adopting a pet from a good and trustworthy organisation, you have a surety that the animal will be healthy and all the details about your prospective companion will be shared with you - like what they eat, when they go out, what time they sleep, what is their favourite toy, etc. There are no secrets in adoption. Moreover, you and your pet will always receive help and guidance.

Fostering a puppy is always a good option for first timers.
PC - Manaswini Shetye

Fostering is an amazing option that all people who have ever considered having a pet in their lives must look into. It can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience and at the same time you are helping save a life. By fostering a pet, you are giving him a taste of his beautiful life ahead. If you are an animal lover and hesitant about adopting, you should try fostering a pet for the experience. “You understand through first hand experience what it takes to adopt a pet for a lifetime if you foster one pet for weeks,” says Mrs Padmaja Rajasimhan, a foster parent with the PAL Foundation. It's taking your love for the pet to a different level.

Lastly, as Anatole France puts it - Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

Pet Owners and Animal Lovers Foundation (PAL) is an NGO which works for a better future for animals in Thane city. PAL aims to help animals by educating and empowering people with the right kind of information which enables them to understand and deal with animal related issues. PAL believes strongly in evoking a sense of compassion in human beings towards animals and works with the youth and children to achieve this. PAL also rescues animals and gives them for adoption once they are healthy and fit. They have a specialised adoption team which is headed by Ms. Neha Dabir and look at matching the right animal with the right family through fostering and adoptions.

So if you are keen on becoming a superhero today, pick up the phone and call PAL on 9324699829 / 9833277040 or email on petownersandanimallovers@gmail.com. Alternately, you can also check out their adoption page on facebook - www.facebook.com/mypalclub

To read more about PAL’s work visit www.mypalclub.org

The article is by Shonali Pandey who is an animal lover and an adopter herself. She has a beautiful cat named Arya. She loves writing and is working with PAL to help create a better world for animals.
**This article belongs to Pet Owners and Animal Lovers Foundation. Any attempt to replicate any content without permission will lead to legal consequences.

Have you been Loved today?

One of our members, Amritha Mohan, recently posted this really amazing video on our group page.
Watch it here -

Or click here to watch the video - 

Have you been Loved?

It is amazing how after a day of horrible encounters and in a world where there is no one to even listen to you even, your pets can make you feel like you are the most important person and the best thing that has happened to them and to their world.

Animals are such givers, they keep giving all their love and expect so less in return. They are angels on Earth!

A DAY IN MY LIFE by Punch Raghunathan

From the sound of a pigeon flapping its wings to the sound of the milk van delivering milk, each and every sound in the 350 meter radius is audible to me. I sometimes even hear the sound of the snoring watchmen guarding my building. I feel pity on my homeless stray friends down, who do a better job of guarding the building than the watchmen who is sleeping. By god's grace we have good sense of sound and smell.

I am PUNCH RAGHUNATHAN, the Bull terrier. I am little over 2 dog years old which is like 14 human years old. So you can say that I am at the peak of my teenage. These are my days of joy.

Walking is a human's best medicine (i am not educated enough to tell who said this sentence, so I don't know). The person should rewrite this sentence as "Walking is a living being's best medicine." Early morning walks are so awesome! I always look forward to it as I can answer the call of nature, whether nature is actually calling or not. Irrespective of the day, I want to walk and wake up as early as possible. I go jump and start licking all my family members who are sleeping so that I can go for a walk. I have a wish of walking without a leash. But unfortunately, I am so naughty that my master Avinash is sure I will end up causing havoc on the streets by trying to jump on people and on my street friends who are normally sleeping peacefully. Hope one day this wish comes true. I walk as fast as possible dragging whoever walks me. It’s a brisk walk for me as well as my walker. I always decide how much distance I need to walk and always follow the traffic rules by walking on the left side of the road. One more thing about my love for early morning walks are the fewer cars parked on the roadside as well as less traffic. After returning home I drink a lot of water. Love the way my legs are dirty but unfortunately cannot keep them dirty. So my legs are cleaned with a damp cloth or sometimes Avi end up washing my legs.

My favorite place of time pass is the bedroom window where i can see my building friends playing downstairs or fighting with other building dogs. I feel jealous as they have ample space to play around but sometimes I pity them because they have to fight for their survival. I can sit on the window for long hours seeing my friends play or kids playing football or people going to schools, colleges and offices.

As time passes, my pet friends start coming down for their walks. Romeo, Tyson, Akatsu, Pebbles, Caspy, Simba (RIP Simba I used to love fighting with him but never had any bad feelings towards him) These are some of my pet friends in my building and there are others outside the building too who i meet during my walks.

Blacky, Whitey, Browny, Rio, Bamby, Dharam are my stray friends. They always come to play with me whenever I go down. They always follow me wherever I go but I never cross their jurisdiction. The way they drool over me makes me feel a bit superior but in the end they are my friends. I hate to see pigeons sitting on the window and try to shoo them away from my house. I always bark even if they sit on the rain protector sheet on the window.

Fatigue kicks in early due to walking, watching my friends, barking at pigeons and all. My stray friends, when they sleep, dig a bit to sleep, so I also try to do the same. But the only difference is, they sleep on mud and I on the sofa. I only end up moving the sofa cover a bit and sleep. I am not completely asleep; my eyeballs keep moving and looking at what is happening around. If someone rings the bell I am up on my guard again immediately, ready to pounce on the person who is coming in. The Safety door in my house is only the thing that protects them from me. If it is someone from my family, then I am soooo happy and excited, I just wait for the door to open. I pounce on them till they cuddle and hug me.

I do not have a fixed schedule of eating. I eat only when i am hungry. My appetite is good as i have a lot of exercise. Food varies from dog food, curd rice, ice cream, biscuits and at times roti with some Vegetables. I love to eat Bananas, Grapes and Water melons.

I play, run and jump whenever possible and am a part time skater too. Rubber and Tennis balls are my favorites as I can tear them in no time. In skating, only difference between me and a human is that human skaters use wheels for skating and I use a vessel to skate. The Vessel is placed reverse and I keep both my fore paws at the base of the vessel, I will keep running till I bang on a wall. It is a great exercise for me and I would wish to teach this skating trick to my friends. None of my toys last even for a month except for a ring which lasted for more than a year. After keeping my front paw on the toy, I tear it apart as a lion feasts on its prey.

Whenever my toy is thrown i fetch it as fast as possible, but will never give it back to whoever throws it. We dogs are natural athletes, so can run as fast as possible. I challenge any human to run along with me, i am sure i would win by a large margin. My body structure is built in such a way that oppressing force cannot reduce my speed. When i run, my whole body gets structured like a supersonic jet making me cover long distances in short time.

We animals don’t like to be left alone locked up in the house. As an attention seeker, staying alone in the house is a nightmare for me. But at times it is so unavoidable that I am alone at home for some time. If I get hold of a newspaper or a cloth when i am alone at home it ends up in bits and pieces. Sitting on the hall window, I keep waiting for my family members to come back. If I see them from the window or if I hear the sound of the main door being opened, I get extremely happy and excited and start running here and there.

Bathing....No words can describe my misery!

Whenever someone from my family says “Kulika Polaama” (“Let’s go take bath” in Tamil) I try to disappear, get under the table or hide wherever possible. I know it is necessary to take bath, but I just don’t like it. In the bathroom, I make the most innocent face possible and stand as if I am a bent tree. Once my bath is over, I roll all over the bed or sofa trying to dry myself completely. My ears get dirty easily so it has to be cleaned regularly. As I see the ear bud pack I come and lie down so that my ears can be cleaned.

3 to 4 rounds around the building at the end of the day along with meeting my stray friends ends my day. I come back home, clean my paws and go to sleep on my comfortable bed. At night, I get up even at the slightest sound, even if it is someone walking on the staircase outside. I believe that it is always good to be cautious than to regret later.

I love my family very very much, all of them including my Amma, Appa, Aissswaria (my sister) and Avinash (my brother). They love me and take care of me like I am the jewel of their eye. They make me who I am and love me to an extent, I never knew love was possible. It is a wonderful thing to be loved so much by one's family. I love them more than anything in the whole wide world too!

STOP & READ - by Sarvesh Akolkar

First of all, a simple question to you - Are you an animal lover? 

If yes, are you planning to buy any animal to keep it as your pet ?

STOP!!

Think about it..!!

It is a commitment of around 15 - 20 years and there is no point in making the animal's suffering by not fulfilling that commitment.

If you are ready to fulfill the commitment, then you are ready to get a pet of your own.

Now, have you thought of buying one?
Instead, why don't you do the noble deed by adopting one and saving a life?

If you are adopting, then why not an Indian one?


Here are some of the reasons why one should adopt a Indian stray dog and there by saving atleast one life and taking it off the street.

1. BILLING 
Indian dogs are born and brought up here itself in India so they are well acquainted with the
environment. So, unlike other foreign breeds like GSD , St.Bernad , Collie and other heavy coated animals they do not need intensive care, air conditioning, special medicines, grooming and other expensive bills to add to your monthly bills.

2. LOYALTY POINTS 
It is wrong perception that Indian dogs are not meant to be kept as pets. That they need an open environment to live in and all sorts of rumors such as these…..WRONG!
Just like other dogs and puppies they can and need to be brought up in a caring and correct manner, that's all. Also there is a wrong concept that Indian dogs are not loyal.
Each and every dog is loyal to the one who cares for it (in other words its owner).
It is my own experience that if u nurture any dog he will be loyal with u for rest of its life..!!

3. RACISM 
Do u support racism….??
Think well before answering.
I am talking about racism in a broader sense i.e. I’m including animals also in it !!
If it’s illegal to discriminate any one on the basis of color then how can we humans support creating differences in animals on the basis of breed?? Is it correct?
It’s said that all are equal before nature.
Right now we are facing the problem of global warming just because we went against the law of nature…. Then why should one again go against nature and discriminate these beautiful creatures by their breed …?? And make each and every one suffer??? Is this correct???

4. MODIFICATION to SUIT NEEDS
Its true that there are some benefits of breeding like specialization of some dogs to execute a particular task and attain excellence..!! But is that excellence necessary for us in our day to day life or do u just want a pet who can even guard you…?? And if you choose to go for excellence then shouldn't you be excellent too??
Is it ethically correct to genetically modify you to create a perfect human being?
Also, along with a few benefits just look at the ill effects on these animals due to improper breeding.

Some examples are

Bulldogs (suffers from problems like low stamina and breathlessness if made to do a lot of exercise)

Dachshunds (suffers from back problems and numerous leg problems like weak hind legs arthritis in old age and also unable to walk if its weight increases)

Just think of the ill effects that man has introduced in these animals for the sake of his greedy and selfish needs !!

5. PURE ANIMAL LOVE
When asked, people say that they are buying a dog just because they like dogs, they are an animal lover.
So aren’t the dogs on Indian streets dogs?? 
If you are an animal lover then how can you tolerate those street dogs suffering from road accidents, inhumane people poisoning them…??

An example of that is the Kerla case
Please watch this video for more details -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEmCvP4TLSQ

From Sarvesh Akolkar -

I’m sorry If hurt any one in this article please don’t take it personally please
Images obtained through Google search.

Graycious to Grenade

The puppy was a unique one. The moment anyone saw him, they would keep staring at him for a while.
Why, you ask? 

He was gray in colour, with a beautiful gray colored body and beautiful stunning gray eyes!

He had a loving and adjusting personality as well. No problem with other dogs, no problem with people, a jolly, soft and loving fellow!
Abandoned by someone in Hiranandani Meadows, Thane with another litter which was a few weeks older than he was. 

A horrible situation for the puppy. The new mother was not accepting of her step son. No food, no water and a bad life ahead. 

Niveditha, a girl from the same building was doing her best to keep him alive and healthy.
He was soon picked up by a family of animal lovers and taken home.
His foster care began. As he grew healthy, his features became more prominent. His hound like face and tail, along with cute ears. He was most likely a gray hound cross. 

Soon he was up for adoption. Owing to his unique color, there were calls from all over India asking for him. But we knew we had to select the best for him. 

Many got angry that we did not give them the puppy, many yelled and abused, accused us of not wanting a good home for him even! 

But we really needed him to go to a patient and lovely family who would love and care for him for the rest of his life. 

Saurabh took him home for a while, but soon he realised that it was a responsibility the family was not ready for just yet. In a couple of years, maybe.

With a heavy heart, Saurabh brought Graycious back to the foster home. 

Soon, he was up for adoption again.
And then came along Carey Vaz and his family. After a chat over the phone, Carey immediately came and met him. He fell in love with him instantly. 

The following Sunday, Neha Dabir and Avinash Raghunathan went all the way to Marol from Thane to meet Carey and his family. They came back with beaming faces. 

They were happy to have met Carey's family and really happy that Graycious (Saurabh had named his that temporarily) would be going there. 

Graycious' vaccination and deworming had been started in the mean while, so that he did not have any problems in the future. 

The following day Carey took Graycious home and named him Grenade. Carey and his family are thrilled to have little Grenade in their home! 

We hope Grenade has a lovely life with Carey and his family!