Bengaluru sees rescuers, volunteers promoting indie pet adoption despite anxiety around community dogs

A recent indie pet adoption drive in Jayanagar helped 11 puppies and a cat find their homes, drawing attention once again to Bengaluru’s growing network of rescuers and volunteers promoting indie pet adoption amid rising anxiety around community dogs.

Organised by the Jayanagar Canine Squad along with Sri Shiva Shakthi Abirudhi Trust and GBA South, the drive took place against the backdrop of heightened conversations around stray dogs in the city. The initiative also coincided with recent Supreme Court observations on the euthanasia of aggressive dogs, which have intensified debate across the city.

Animal welfare groups, however, say the impact on adoptions has been uneven. Dr Adithi Balaganesan, outreach director at CJ Memorial Trust, says the organisation’s work has followed a scientific, structured and responsible approach for the past decade. “We conduct regular adoption drives at Cubbon Dog Park, which witnessed a temporary dip in enquiries after the recent discussions around stray dogs,” she says.

“Earlier, a typical weekend drive would see around 15-20 serious enquiries and 5-8 successful adoptions. Currently, we are seeing slightly lower numbers, averaging 10-12 enquiries and 3-5 adoptions.” Dr Adithi adds that the decline is more visible among first-time pet parents making emotional or impulsive decisions. “The issue is not the indie dog itself, but the fear factor that has been created around community animals,” she says.

At Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE), however, adoption numbers have remained relatively stable.
Sudha Narayanan, founder trustee of CARE, says the organisation continues to see steady interest from adopters despite concerns surrounding the ruling. “We expected negativity towards indie pups after the order was passed, but fortunately that hasn’t happened,” she says. CARE currently records around 15-20 adoptions a month, down from nearly 40-50 during the post-pandemic peak. However, Sudha clarifies that the decline predates the recent Supreme Court discussions.

Second Chance Sanctuary has recorded 61 adoptions since September last year, of which only five involved indie or indie-cross puppies, according to trustee Sandhya Madhavan. The organisation averages around six adoptions a month, a figure Sandhya says has remained largely unchanged despite the recent discussions.

Sandhya, however, says the broader impact of the ruling has been an increase in hostility towards community dogs. “People are taking the law into their hands and interpreting the order as permission to remove or kill dogs,” she says, adding that shelters and volunteers are increasingly dealing with reports of harassment and cruelty.

Rescue organisations also point to a growing preference for cats among urban adopters. Aniruddha Ravindra, Managing Director of Praana Animal Foundation, and Animal Welfare Warden of the Karnataka Animal Welfare Board, says the shelter currently sees four to five cat adoptions every week, with very low return rates. Dog adoption retention, he adds, remains more challenging.

“Cruelty towards dogs has also increased,” he says. “We recently handled cases in Peenya and Kengeri where dogs were allegedly killed after being labelled aggressive. That has been the most worrying fallout of the discussions around the ruling.”

Meanwhile, some rescuers believe shifting pet preferences and the popularity of designer breeds on social media are also contributing to lower interest in adoption.

“There has been a drastic decrease in adoptions,” says Arshleen Kaur of Big Bagheera Foundation, which works with injured and abandoned animals. “People are increasingly looking for trendy breeds, while indie dogs and even common breeds like Labradors are getting overlooked.”

To adopt, contact CARE at 81230 38270; Big Bagheera at @bigbhagheera_foundation and Second Chance Sanctuary at @secondchancesanctuaryindia (both on Instagram)