Culture & Lifestyle

Looking for a canine companion? Here’s one to adopt.

A casual walk down any of Kathmandu’s streets and chances are you’ll come upon a stray dog or two. Most of these dogs are mixed breeds, born and raised on the mean streets of Kathmandu, but increasingly, you can see breed dogs that have been abandoned by heartless owners. Looking for a canine companion? Here’s one to adopt.

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Alisha Sijapati

Published at : January 22, 2019

Updated at : January 24, 2019 13:26

Photos by: Sanjog Manandhar

Most of these dogs are harmless, just yearning for affection and looking for a home and family. Dogs were bred to be companions to humans and they instinctively look for human love. Despite the thousands of dogs on the streets looking for a home, Nepalis continue to purchase breed dogs that cost thousands of rupees.

These dogs are often bred in harsh conditions by breeding centres, which then abandon the dogs when they can’t produce any more puppies.

Thankfully, there are a number of animal shelters that are taking care of these street dogs, providing them with food, medicine and a place to sleep. Centres such as the Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) Centre, Animal Nepal, Sneha’s Care, and Street Dog Care conduct rescues and provide a safe space for animals that few others care for. Unfortunately, these centres cannot take in all comers and many of their rescues are up for adoption to a loving home.

The Post recently visited the KAT Centre and Animal Nepal and selected a few dogs to profile. All of these lovable little furballs are up for adoption from their respective shelters.

Lajalu

Age: Two months

This skinny, two-month-old puppy lives up to his name, given by the KAT Centre as per his bashful nature. Lajalu was rescued just a month ago and is a shy little puppy easily scared. He yearns for affection but is scared of people. This little brown ball of fur turns docile and shivers when he senses humans around him. Lajalu was in bad shape when he was brought to the rescue centre by a stranger—the puppy couldn’t walk properly due a problem with his legs. KAT suspects that this little puppy might have been physically abused. But now, Lajalu is recovering quickly and loves to roll around on the floor when showered with affection and love.

Dream

Age: Three years

Five months ago, this little cute furball was rescued by the KAT Centre from the streets of busy Lainchaur. Known fondly by everyone as Dream, the doggy is covered with golden and white fur. When rescued, this tall, good-looking dog was found in a dreadful stage—deprived of food, water and energy. Due to a lack of nutrition and care, Dream unfortunately lost his eyesight. However, he is now healthy and his lack of eyesight doesn’t cause him any hindrances. Once well-acquainted with an area, he is able to avoid accidents and obstacles all by himself. Dream is a smart and affectionate dog who loves humans and is always ready to play.

Ching & Pang

Age: Eight months

Ching and Pang were rescued on the same day by a KAT Centre team.

These two eight-month-old dogs had been struck by a vehicle on the Ring Road. Since their stay at KAT, these two dogs, who are of the same age, have become inseparable. However, their personalities do differ from one another. While Ching has a big appetite and is greedy for food, he also yearns for human affection and is mostly lost in his own world. However, Pang is the opposite, as she is smart and clever. Pang lost one of her legs during the accident but nothing deters her from having a life as normal and playful as any other four-legged companion. Despite her missing leg, Pang is known as the ‘jumping jack’ of the centre. According to KAT, it is next to impossible to separate these two. “They are like Siamese twins,” they say.

Lucy

Age: Two years

Of the many dogs at Animal Nepal, Lucy is one of those happy-go-lucky four-legged animals who loves to eat, sleep and play. She has shiny, golden locks and stands out because of her friendly and playful nature. She loves to be caressed but can get mildly aggressive and greedy when it comes to food. Lucy, who was a family dog earlier, was abandoned and left to loiter around the community streets. Due to her greedy nature, she once bit a man who tried to play with her food. Fortunately, Lucy was rescued by a team from Animal Nepal when the community members were contemplating what to do with the dog. Since her stay at the Chobhar centre, Lucy has shown marked improvement and can be seen happily playing with other dogs.

Dooku

Age: Five months

All curled up in a corner next to the vet clinic at Animal Nepal was Dooku—a five-month-old pup. Unlike many other dogs discarded by their family or community, Dooku has a different tale. She led a happy life with her family for about three months before they were forced to discard her due to their landlord’s ‘no pet’ policy. When the pet owner arrived at the Animal Nepal shelter in Chobhar with Dooku, she cried her heart out and bid an emotional farewell. According to Animal Nepal, Dooku, who was a happy-go-lucky little pup until just two weeks ago, is now depressed. She yearns for someone to give her a permanent home and some much-needed affection. Dooku likes it when she is mollycoddled by humans.

Yamuna & Kids

Age: Three years & two month puppies

Yamuna and her children entered Animal Nepal about a month ago, when a kind stranger bought these dogs to the centre after rescuing them from the Civil Mall area in Sundhara. Yamuna was already malnourished while she was heavily pregnant, so when her puppies were born, they too were undernourished. Since coming to Animal Nepal, Yamuna and her puppies have finally found a home and are now well-fed. They look happy and healthy. While Yamuna remains skinny, she is gentle and harmless. Her puppies are fluffy, feisty and cheerful. Both Yamuna and her three children are up for adoption and are looking forward to getting adopted by a lovely family.

Alisha Sijapati
Alisha Sijapati is a journalist who specializes in telling human-interest stories, delving into history and heritage, and highlighting artistic endeavors. Her previous work experience includes contributions to Nepali Times, The Kathmandu Post, and The Himalayan Times. As of 2021, she is also a co-founder of the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign.