Loyalty auctioned!!!
Imagine having worked with dedication and loyalty for 11 long years, putting your best paw forward in everything. To be trained on specific tasks and then doing them with zest and enthusiasm – day in and day out, following a strict regime and routine. Being on a duty call 24×7, performing to the best of one’s capability in the hour of need – either proofing the place where a VIP visit is scheduled or helping and sniffing out relevant information in times of natural or human-made disasters. Amidst all this hardwork – one shares a sense of bonding and belonging with the trainers and handlers – cause in the literal terms, they are the only people one has been with, one’s family and above all one’s PACK. Any guesses? Yes, these HEROES are our own Canine Service dogs, who are performing silently with a wag and a golden heart which only knows how to GIVE.
A heartbreaking incident caught our attention on 31st of January 2007, where two dog heroes belonging to the Rajasthan Police Academy – Baadal and Heena – were auctioned as they had grown old. The reserve price was kept at Rs. 1500 and they were finally sold at Rs. 4,888. These dogs, after 11 long years of service, were simply termed “OUTDATED” and sold. They have been bought by Viren of International Dog Bazar of Jaipur – who is taking care of them – as the dogs are currently not well and are being given proper veterinary care. This had caused a commotion among dog lovers, not only in Jaipur but all across the country.
On the international front, the fate of service dogs is not bleak. These dog heroes are given proper care in their golden years – they are neither auctioned nor given to welfare organizations. They are either adopted by their trainers/ puppy raisers or are adopted by the family as pet dogs to whom they have been providing service in their early phases of life.
Sparkle feels that we all should unite and try and make a change to the lives of our service angels. We, at Dogs & Pups, welcome your suggestions to make a better life for these service dogs. So, send in your feedback at shweta@dogsandpups.net