“Only for true dog-lovers, not breed-conscious people”, says Aparna Bhatt, when she looks for a home for her rescues. Aparna and her husband founded KARMA (Kulture for Animal Rehabilitation & Mass Awareness), a grassroots organisation that fosters homeless Indian puppies until a family adopts them. Her way of working is a stark contrast to that of the breeder community. Due to a demand for ‘pure' breeds, pedigree females are treated like machinery, housed in cramped cages and made to reproduce repeatedly. Pugs often have to give birth through c-sections, risking the lives of both mother and pups. Breeders frequently mate those of the same family (known as inbreeding), resulting in serious genetic defects that reduce the animals' health and life span. Says CUPA Trustee and veterinarian Dr. Shiela Rao: “Inbreeding can make a recessive gene dominant. Certain breeds are believed to be prone to particular health problems like deafness in Dalmatians, hip dysplasia in German Shepherds and Retrievers and heart disease in Boxers. Bone defects and the risk of other birth defects are also increased”. Fads like a sudden preference for pugs or pit bull terriers worsen the situation as many other breeds are abandoned by their owners to make space for their new fancies.
While pedigree puppies and their parents suffer this way, their Indian cousins go hungry on the streets, get crushed by speeding vehicles or wait in crowded shelters for adoption. Save a life by pledging to adopt a dog and not buy one.
(This concludes the two-part series on the realities of pet trade)
