Meet the 'Pawsome People' building shelters for stray dogs in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The downpours brought much-needed relief after months of discomforting summer heat. While most of us are enjoying the pleasant weather, the plight of stray animals is the least of anyone's concerns. Now, a group of volunteers have come to the rescue and are helping stray animals.

The Pawsome People Project started in Coimbatore as an organization conducting fund-raising and shelter-building activities. It rescues and rehabilitates foster animals, basically taking care of street animals. Pawsome expanded to major metropolitan cities in the midst of the pandemic. It kickstarted a shelter-building drive here in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Shreya Chadalavada, an entrepreneur and the lead of the Hyderabad team, said, "We started with simple activities like feeding the animals as the shops were shut during the lockdown and dogs weren't getting food. We bought or cooked food and a bunch of volunteers went out and fed them."

She said Pawsome is now building a team of volunteers from across the city and their first activity is building a shelter. "We found a bunch of volcrates wood from our volunteers and decided to convert them into shelters for dogs. These were being placed around the city, mainly outside the homes of volunteers or places we visited often so we could take care of them," added Shreya.

These will operate like a shelter for the dogs to sleep at night or when it's raining and they have no place to go. There will be a water bowl and a place where you can give them food. "We started by building four shelters in MP MLA Colony Jubilee Hills, Road no 10, and Kondapur near Tech Mahindra park. Bliss Foundation will put one up in Banjara Hills which is yet to be installed."

Now that Pawsome has an idea of how to go about building the shelters, it plans to build more where people can sign up to take care of them and even donate. "We are also trying to build our volunteer network in Hyderabad. Each shelter costs around Rs. 2,500. People can donate for one shelter or they can even donate materials if they have any left over. We hope to get enough volunteers for the drive," said Shreya who, along with her friend and co-lead Ritu Choudhary, have rescued two strays in Hyderabad.

Shreya added, "People should treat the stray animals like you their own. Even if they don't have one, they shouldn't harm them. If people see an injured dog, they turn a blind eye and walk away. Instead, they should report it. We are trying to help these animals. You can inform us or any other organization who will rescue them," said Shreya.

"If you see a shelter, don't dismantle it. Instead, put some food. If you're interested in taking care of the dogs, you can sign up with us. We are actively recruiting volunteers and you can work, show up for events, donate, or just report injuries," she said.