Metrolife: Abandoned puppies find homes, thanks to IT firm

They were bundled in gunny sacks and left shivering at a JP Nagar street corner

On Wednesday afternoon, eight adorable puppies were the cynosure of all eyes at an IT services company in Madiwala. A puppy adoption camp, perhaps the first of its kind for any IT firm, was in progress. It was a partly sunny, partly cloudy afternoon as employees walked out to take a look at the puppies.

The story began last week when two men on a motorcycle brought nine pups bundled in gunny sacks and left them near Paradise Colony in JP Nagar.

A group of animal lovers in the neighbourhood got to hear of it, and rushed to find the little ones struggling in a gunny bag. Clearly, the pups, about 45 days old, needed help to survive. Afraid they wouldn’t survive if left in the open, the group took them home.

“We already have several cats and dogs at home, and much as we would have liked to keep the pups, we couldn’t. We then began looking for people who might adopt them,” says Prerna (name changed on request), one of the rescuers.

The shelters were not an option: the pups were too small, and vulnerable to catching infections from older dogs. At this point, Happiest Minds Technologies came into the picture. The company offered to help find pet parents from among its employees.

Eight of the nine puppies were given vaccination shots, groomed, and driven to the company’s premises. The good news is that five have found new homes.

Before they were put up for adoption, Dr Pavan and Dr Ramesh, doctors at Cessna Lifeline Veterinary Hospital in Domlur, stepped in, giving them their shots and preparing hampers packed with vitamin drops and vaccination schedules.

“We hope this sets an example for other corporate organisations,” says Vijetha Shenoy, associate manager at Happiest Minds. “Of late, we have heard of many dogs being ill-treated. So, when we heard of the animal lovers looking for pet parents, we were thrilled and tried to do whatever we could,” she says.

Early adopter

Rajnikanth Badiger, software engineer, was one of the first to adopt a pup. “I have many pets back home in Dharwad. I have grown up with cats, dogs and buffaloes at our farm. Sadly, last year I lost my dog. My family was thinking of getting another. Instead of getting one from a breeder it is always good to adopt one,” he told Metrolife.