Pet-friendly Deepavali on their minds

Citizens start using name tags, stocking up on anti-anxiety meds to keep strays safe

With Deepavali approaching, animal welfare workers in the city are taking various measures to ensure the safety of community dogs in their area.

From putting QR codes on collars to attaching name tags and administering homeopathic medicines, animal lovers and caretakers across the city are doing all they can to ensure they can locate lost and missing animals after the festival.

Niveditha Shetty, a resident of Rajajinagar, says she plans to keep community animals in her area calm by administering homeopathic medicine.

Over 20 stray dogs in the area are on a strict regimen of two dosages of anti-anxiety homeopathic drugs.

“They have been on anti-anxiety medication since the 25th of this month. This was after I noticed many street dogs in my area going berserk during the Dasara festival. The goddess was being taken for immersion along with fireworks, and the animals were running amok, looking for a safe place to hide,” said Shetty, who is a caretaker for nearly a hundred community animals in the area.

Shetty is also putting reflective collars on her community animals and tagging them with her name and contact number.

“Tagging the collars has come in handy in the past. Last Deepavali, I lost one of my street dogs named Bosco. Luckily, I had tagged him. After a few days of Bosco going missing, I received a call from a hotel owner a few blocks away telling me that Bosco had been hiding in his hotel for days,” recalled Shetty.

Vidhya Thiagarajan of Pride Layout in Bannerghatta has decided to leave her front gate open this year. She is also using zip tags to secure reflective collars on her community animals.

“Last year, we collared all ten street dogs, but they took them off. This time we have ordered a better quality collar and used zip locks to secure them. I will also leave the gate of my compound wall open, in case they would like to take shelter away from firecrackers,” said Thiagarajan.

Apart from these, some caretakers are also spreading awareness about the negative impacts of firecrackers on animals.

“I have tagged 25 street dogs with my name and number written on reflective collars on them. However, it is important to educate people and spread awareness about how firecrackers cause anxiety and fear in animals,” said Dolly Priyanka, a resident of C Palya.

Animal welfare workers and a city-based NGO have written to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Karnataka requesting stricter rule enforcement and public awareness campaigns highlighting the harmful effects of firecrackers on animals and the environment.

“High Court and Supreme Court rulings have banned both the sale and use of non-green crackers. No firecracker above a 125-decibel sound level is allowed and should not be used after 10 pm. There is a lot of air and noise pollution during Deepavali, which affects animals apart from senior citizens suffering from ailments. Animals, including pets, are petrified, leading to anxiety issues,” said Vinod Jacob, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, the NGO that has raised the issue.