The right thing is one of the hardest things to do, and setting up the Tails of Compassion (ToC) animal home was no doubt the best and the toughest thing I did.
The journey has definitely not been a cakewalk. It is demanding – physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. It is not easy to be surrounded by pain and death all the time.
But somehow, the feeling of going to bed knowing that another animal lives today and their cries for help didn’t go unheeded is beyond compare.
Each dog at ToC comes with a traumatic past.
Tuppy was one of the most wounded dogs that I have ever had to rescue – he was wounded physically and emotionally.
It was a horrific case of brutality inflicted by man out of sheer heartlessness and hatred towards street dogs. This man had smashed his body really hard, causing excessive internal damage – a breakage to his spine, paralysis, damage to his intestines, intussusception and prolapse of the rectum.
Today, multiple surgeries and weeks of care later, Tuppy has turned into a gorgeous, happy dog. His wounds can never heal. But his spirit has.
There are several such animals, especially street dogs, that are victims of accidents, cruelty and bad luck. Imagine lying motionless for days with your body parts rotting and your organs damaged. Imagine sending out muffled cries for help only to be overlooked because you are a dog!
I am working towards closing their past and giving them a beautiful present. I am working towards giving them a fair chance at life. All of these rescued animals are my kids. I think the only thing that I haven’t done as a mother was give birth to them.
Why Was ToC Founded?
My special connection with animals goes way back in time – since I was a young girl. While I had always wanted to do something significant for them, this abstract idea took shape only recently after a series of unsettling experiences.
Euthanasia seemed like a quick fix in most places for all the problems – injury, disease, paralysis, old age, lack of space. Yes, shocking, but true.
I could never come to terms with the concept of euthanasia. Why shut the timer off without trying to fix them first just because we have the power to do so or just because there isn’t enough space? I decided to have my own place where these animals could live fearless and freely.
ToC’s Core Focus
Founded in 2017, ToC provides a compassionate home to senior and special-needs dogs and other animals in need of care and shelter, but most importantly, love.
We have rescued over 200 animals (dogs, cats, goats and birds) in the last two years and are currently home to 50 animals including aged, paralyzed, amputated and deaf dogs, and goats and chickens.
In addition to the shelter animals, we also feed several animals in and around our vicinity. We pick up injured animals from the streets and provide them with necessary medical care. We also conduct sterilization drives regularly.
Our purpose is not just to help animals in need, but also to instill in people and children a sense of compassion towards our great Indian/desi dogs through education and adoptions.
Challenges
Because we focus on serving senior and special-needs dogs that completely rely on us for their care and survival, everything we do is double the normal – double the efforts, double the man power, double the time, and, therefore, double the bills.
These dogs are more susceptible to injuries and infections compared to able-bodied dogs and need constant attention. Most of our cases stay with us permanently, which leads to a perpetual increase in the number of ToC members.
How You Can Help
Animal welfare is an extremely neglected cause. Most individuals are aware of the importance of preservation of the environment and its people, but miss out on an essential fact that animals too are a part of the ecosystem and need as much compassion and care. They too feel just like us. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to protect and help the voiceless. Sensitising people and children from a very young age and educating them about the cause is half the job done.
A common misconception among people is that all animal NGOs are funded by the government, and, therefore, they are in a position to provide free service. However, that is not the case. We rely on donations from kind Samaritans like you.
ToC is not backed by the government or any corporate. We decided to put up a fundraiser to give ToC an opportunity to make its voice be heard. We decided to put up a fundraiser as crowdfunding would give ToC an opportunity to make its voice be heard. So far, over ₹1.31 lakh has been raised through crowdfunding and more is required to meet the ₹5 lakh target. Your donations can help us power through tough times. Please click here to contribute.
Not everyone gets an opportunity to save lives. We invite you to support our work.