Petting culture & lockdown

Through the ages, dogs have been known as man's best friend and the closest companion who leaves paw prints in your heart. But during lockdown and post unlock conditions amid the Coronavirus outbreak; there has been a sudden spike in petting culture across the country. As a stress buster and bringing joy home, numerous families have become first-time 'pawrents'.

As there are always two sides of a coin, hence, the huge demand for dogs has promoted illegal breeding, unruly sale and purchase under the nose of authorities. To meet the need of the soaring market, underage and unhealthy puppies are being sold by the unscrupulous breeders.

If Delhi-NCR's veterinarians and NGOs are to be believed then post lockdown, hundreds of newborn puppies, owned by new owners, have lost their lives in a very painful manner. Instead of serving the purpose of the owners, it has left them in an emotional turmoil along with financial losses. Hence, the experts warn people to be extra cautious while fostering a pet during this time.

Owner's ordeal

Pooja Saigal brought home a month-old beagle on November 1. Soon after having a grand welcome at home, the pup started sneezing, vomiting and had diarrhoea. When the shopkeeper refused to address their request of sending back the puppy to his mother, they took him to the vet. He was admitted at Max Vets Hospital in East of Kailash, but he took his last breath on the day of Diwali.

Police and concerned authorities were informed to take action against the shopkeeper who has been selling the underage and unhealthy puppies. However, no action has been taken against them.

A similar tragic incident happened with a 37-year-old businessman who gave a month-old beagle to his wife who was suffering from anxiety and depression after losing her job to COVID-19. However, the decision of bringing home a furry ball turned sour for the Noida-based couple as they too lost their canine within 10 days. A complaint was given on September 27 at Sector- 20 police station in Noida, but it has not been converted into FIR as yet.

Petting as therapy

The aftermath of lockdown and the ongoing pandemic, joblessness, the financial crisis has left people stressed and depressed. Dealing with the health issues ranging from depression to that final step, suicide, people have opted to bring home a pet.

Consulting psychiatrists, psychologists, friends and taking social media advice, families chose to become 'pawrents' and pet a dog as a therapy or a healer. Pooja Sinha, a 37-year-old working professional brought home a Maltese pup home for his six-year-old son — the only child. "My husband and I have been working from home since the lockdown was imposed. Anshu, my son felt left out and had stopped eating. As he wasn't going to school, parks or a friend's house, we saw behavioural changes. We consulted a child psychologist who advised us to bring home a dog only to give Anshu a companionship. Soon after we brought home Milo, our dog, we noticed a positive change. Milo has not given happiness to our child, but has brought a positivity home," Pooja said.

The new normal since the Coronavirus outbreak, the ill-health, joblessness, financial crises and the everyday stresses that people anyway had to deal with and the Covid tunnel stretches dark and seemingly endless with no light at the end of it. "This prolonged uncertainty has led people to feel a lot more anxious. So people who were on a mild anxiety spectrum earlier have moved to moderate and severe anxiety. When anxiety gets severe, the kinds of behaviour of self-harm increase," said Arvinder Singh, psychologist, psychotherapist and director of the Ashoka Centre for Well-Being in New Delhi.

Woes of illegal breeding

Vikram Kochhar, Honorary District Animal Welfare Officer at Animal Welfare Board of India said, "Since people are locked inside, dealing with restrictions post-Coronavirus outbreak, leading to mental health issues, the demand for canines has skyrocketed. This has been a golden period for backyard breeders who are forcefully conducting dogs matting. Failing to even get the bitch medically tested and vaccinated, before she could conceive. As a result, the mother is delivering unhealthy pups. Before weaning could be completed, the breeders are separating the pups from their mother within 15-20 days."

"As per the animal breeding laws, the pups have to remain with their mother until 60-90 days. But to take advantage of the demand in the market, the breeders are selling 25-28 days old canine to the pet sellers who are further selling it to the customers. Lack of knowledge about the canine underage and health issues, the buyers-in hurry- bring home the pup. Within a few days, the pup is unable to survive as he hasn't developed the immunity that was supposed to have developed naturally by consuming mother's milk," said Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj, President, People For Animal (Gautam Budh Nagar).

Pragati Khanna, Animal Welfare Officer says that these days families are opting for small breeds as most of them live in small apartments and have kids at home. "Apart from buying pets this year, we have seen an increase in abandoned pets on the streets. On a daily basis, we have seen 1-2 pets abandoned on the road," she added.

Experts speak

Dr Vijay Kumar, Founder Member of Canis Welfare Pet Club, said: "In my 30 years of career, I have never seen such mad rush for canine sale and purchase. Even though the breeders and sellers have tripled the price, the buyers are ready to pay. Almost 80 per cent of the pedigree pups born post-March 2020 have health issues."

"Lack of government policies about breeding and no nodal agency to take complete action on this illegal business, have given free hands for backyard breeding. Not only in Punjab, Haryana, Meerut, but the illegal breeding is happening in Delhi-NCR," he added.

Dr Abhishek Daber, a Veterian said, "The immune system of these newly born pups have been compromised and there are very less chances that the pup will survive at their owner's house when bought underage. Most of the pups arrive at our clinic are between 20-40 days."

"Many pet shops in Delhi-NCR are illegally selling the pups. Without having proper certificates, licenses and documents, these shops have flourished post the lockdown restrictions were uplifted. Even the police are least bothered in taking action against them," claimed Kaveri who has conducted more than a dozen raids in the last few months.

Luv Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Gautam Budh Nagar said, "Recently, we have conducted raids at a pet shop in Sector-18 after receiving a tip-off about illegal sale and purchase of animals. Underage puppies, a sick cat were rescued from the shop and a case was registered followed by sealing of the shop."

A senior police official in Delhi's Western Range said, "As there are a huge number of pet shops in the district. We keep a close eye on any illegal activities. If we receive any complaint or even a tip-off, we immediately take action."

Views expressed are personal