The Team, Surgery performed on dog by the vet, Dogs are tagged on their ears and One of the strays that was captured for the sterelization

Dogs are considered to be man’s best friend. But when it comes to strays is it really a two way street? Do we love them as much as they love us. Of course there are some vicious ones out there. Probably chased you down the road once or twice. Most of us, who can really afford to feed an extra mouth, have dogs in our homes. But have you ever thought of the ones living outside your land? I mean, we do see them on the roads. Puppies and adults alike, running around, fighting with its kind, barking or chasing a pedestrian, or even someone on a bike. A puppy on the road might melt our hearts, most of us would smile and sympathize when we see them by the roadside, but it is only rarely, that anyone would take them for adoption, and make sure they get food and medication, and most of all a chance to live a full life with a family who loves them. Well, luckily there are people who do care about them. Founded in May 2011 by Oshadie Korale
Andrew Jebaraj and Megali Nanayakkara, Adopt a Dog in Sri Lanka has come a long way, and done so much for these helpless animals by rescuing them off the streets and finding them a suitable home after they are healthy . A non-profit organisation, they totally depend on volunteers and donations by animal lovers from all over Sri Lanka, and overseas too. This article not about their history or what they’ve accomplished so far. It’s about what they were doing last week.  Headed by Oshadie and fellow volunteers Iraki Kodithuwakku, Hasini Silva and myself who helped to document the whole process, we set out to Sella Katharagama, where Adopt a Dog in Sri Lanka were having a Sterilization and Vaccination camp for the strays and house pets in the area. This programs aim was to successfully sterilize 200 strays and house pets, vaccinate and also treat them free of charge. We arrived at our destination on Monday (25) morning, where the veterinary team had already begun setting up the necessary equipment for the surgery and vaccination. The villagers were cooperative most of the time. We caught strays by luring them with biscuits. Some dogs just came up to us and we were able to gently grab hold of them but others had to be caught using nets amidst a few frowns here and there by onlookers. While some helped us catch the strays, others thought we were going to do something terrible to these animals. After duly explaining to them that it was for the dogs own good, and also for the betterment of the community, and that no dogs will be harmed, where only a simple surgery is performed, that the concerned villagers seemed to understand what we were doing here. Many of the villagers brought their dogs to the camp, which was a relief to us all. We needed all the help we could get.
To those who don’t really understand what I meant by sterilization, it’s simply performing surgery on the dogs, male and female, where their internal reproductive organs are removed so that they cannot breed. This may sound vary inhumane, but it is the most effective solution to stop the increasing number of strays on the roads. Adopting can also help this cause, but it’s very rare that one would simply adopt a stray; hence sterilization is the most effective method. Not only does it minimize the number of strays on the road, this also prevents from new puppies being born where, uncared for will not survive for long on the roads. They would not stand a chance against vehicles and angry pedestrians. With an average of 50 dogs being sterilized a day, the team from adopt a dog and also the veterinary team, who worked really hard to make sure this task would be completed in the 5 days that the camp was planned for.  And believe me, it was very hard work. The climate was really hot, and standing most of the day helping out as much as we could in any way. But in the end it was totally worth every second that we spent here. All dogs that were sterilized were dropped off at their respective homes, or to the places where they were caught. While some villagers didn’t approve of the idea of us releasing them again, and requested that we put an end to the dogs lives, we explained that it’s not the way things should be done.

The rescued pup feeding and At the sterilisation camp where Dannie took the rescued dogs

A few weeks ago, there was much controversy over the stray dogs culling issue. Animal lovers all over the country raised an outcry against this, and the dog culling was called off. Recalling a particularly horrific twist of events, The Review Plus speaks to a European tourist who witnessed dogs being taken away and suspects that they came to a grim end. Dannie Habijan and Anna Harris, from an animal organisation speak of their experiences.
According to Dannie, this incident took place in the beginning of December last year, at around 3 pm.
“I had a call from a Dannie, who was staying in Mirissa. She had a rather shocking experience two days ago whilst on the beach. A large van arrived with men who came on to the beach and started picking up dogs, the men were equipped with rabies protective gloves and catching poles. They took a mother dog from the front of the guest house and then came back and put her four pups into a bag,” Anna said, adding that Dannie then asked them what they were doing, and followed them to the van. “She estimates that she saw about 30 dogs in a large cage within the van, all piled on top of one another and wetting themselves through fear.”
Dannie managed to grab the puppies back and then insisted they pull the mother dog out. To prevent them driving away she waited in the middle of the road to get the mother back, after 30 minutes they pulled the mother out. “These men told her – and I quote “The President has bought an island for the dogs of Sri Lanka and all the dogs in the van will be taken there to live a happy life and will not be killed as this is a Buddhist country,” said Anna.
Anna then went with Dannie to neuter the adults and vaccinate all the dogs, and the dogs were returned to the beach where they will be monitored daily for the next few weeks. “They are now all wearing collars so I hope this will prevent them from being taken if the van comes again,” Anna said.
“Whilst we were out we tried to collect another female from the main road in Weligama that Dannie asked us to neuter. The owner of the shop where the dog lived said a big van came along yesterday and was taking all the dogs from the streets including the one from outside his shop. I plan to keep going back to this area over the next few weeks to sterilise and vaccinate all the dogs there and to put collars on them. I have no idea if they will collect dogs wearing collars and am very concerned this will not make a difference. From the route the van has taken over the last few days this “team” seem to be collecting dogs from Matara towards Galle,” Anna said.
Anna however has a doubt about what is really going on. “I initially wondered if the dogs had been taken for sterilisation, even if that was the case the puppies that they tried to take are only 6 weeks, too young to have surgery. However, two days later the dogs have not been returned to Mirissa Beach so I fear the worst.”
“ Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, I am also shocked that such atrocities are happening to animals. I am in one of the most beautiful countries that I have ever seen in my travels but it is sad to see that there is so much cruelty and brutality over here,” Dannie said.

A dog up for adoption and Adopt A Dog at their Malabe dog feeding project

Stray dogs are a common sight on our roads. We have grown so accustomed to them that we barely spare them a second glance. We see them lying on the side of the road, scavenging in the garbage and running around in packs. We have also seen the sick, the mangy and even the dead ones on the roadside. We might take a second look at a stray pup on the street, merely because  the sight brings sympathy into our hearts, but we always tend to look away and move on, hoping someone else helps it find food and shelter.
Founded on May 13, 2011 Megali Nanayakkara, Oshadie Korale and Andrew Jebaraj, out of their love for dogs started Adopt A Dog Sri Lanka to promote dog adoption.  This non- profit organisation mainly focuses on finding good homes for homeless animals and conducts rescues, sterilisation camps (one district at a time; currently, they are focusing on Kataragama), and a feeding programme. The interesting part is that all programmes are funded by fellow-dog lovers and people willing to chip in for the cause.
“By vaccinating, sterilising and adopting, we could minimise the number of animals suffering on the roads and give a home to those that really need one,” the founders said.
Currently, they are working on an adoption programme, a rescue programme and they have also set up sterilisation camps. Their feeding programme, which costs 3200 rupees sees that 125 dogs are fed every other day. To this day, they have re-homed 268 dogs and vaccinated over 350. They have also sterilised 200 dogs and will be setting up a sterlisation camp for a hundred dogs on March 2, 3 and 4 this year, in Kataragama.
The organisation is open to donations and homes for adopting rescued dogs. In addition, in a move towards transparency, donors are sent bills and pictures of the dogs and a letter from the vet stating the bills were paid.
Want to help out? Volunteer in any way you can, from taking photographs, to transporting vaccinations.   They also plan to open more sterilisation camps, as well as a transit shelter for rescued puppies and dogs, and are also looking for fosters and volunteers, as well as help with funding the projects. So if you’re interested, check out their facebook page.

But the story does not end here. A photo had to be taken of him to be forwarded to all the newspapers. It  was during this period, when the AWPA were looking for his owner, that he  attacked his keeper at the kennels. “As we were not sure whether he was immunised against rabies, he had to kept under observation for three weeks. His prolonged stay at the kennels has amounted to Rs. 41,000 and we appeal for contributions towards his keep from all dog lovers,” said an AWPA member.

Cheques to be drawn in favour of The Animals’ Welfare and Protection Association and posted to The Hony. Treasurer, 14/1 De Fonseka Road, Colombo 5

The road to distress

He had always lived a sheltered life – comfortable surroundings, good food and warmth. But when his sense of adventure overtook him and he literary broke the chains and accepted norms, he found himself out on the streets of hostility.

And this terrier has walked miles, turning back with a puzzled look to find out why someone threw a stone his way. Why people  always  said  ‘chip balla dup..’

Turning in from all the roads that came its way this brown terrier soon found that it could not walk anymore. His fragile being was not used to the scorching sun and the pouring rain and he was grateful for its colour which hid the brown mud that caked his fur.

What was most difficult to bear was that gnawing pain in its stomach. He had never known what hunger was.
He was desperate to get back to the security of his home, desperate for the loving touch of its master. But as the stones and sticks flew its way, the terrier began to realise there was only wickedness outside.

When it arrived one morning around 4.30 a.m. at a De Silva Road neighbourhood in Kohuwala, the strays in the area were poised to leap upon him. “Such brown-skinned  gentlemen with inquiring eyes  are not allowed to our fold,” they seemed to protest. But the actual attack could not be launched  since fortunately for this brown terrier its sophistication was recognised. Its chain was grabbed and it was led away from the impending scene of crime.
Barking at the hostile world, it began to wag its tail at its new-found master. But it was his old master that came to his mind so often.
Now tied in an unknown neighbourhood, being fed and petted by two concerned families, the brown terrier ought to be happy.

But his memories make him sad. Time and again he cries out for his owner; who we know is crying out for him too.

Losing a dog is hard  to bear. Seeing its empty space;  seeing its empty bowl of food and not hearing its bark and not seeing the ardent wag of its tail are all hard to bear.

But for this terrier alone, it is even harder. Not being able to tell us what has happened, not being able to describe its owner to us and not being able to lead us back to his real home are agonies he will have to live with till he eventually dies…. alone.

This terrier’s story is the story of every dog that leaves the warmth of its home. The dog who has been sheltered and cared for by its master enters a living hell when it ventures down an unknown road. For the master however, it is just the misery he or she has to live with.

Friendly and tame, he speaks volumes for his upbringing and his pedigree. Yet this brown terrier is living a makeshift lifestyle, sometimes he has to be tied outside and sometimes confined to small spaces in makeshift areas. For those who have him have their own dogs in their gardens.

And as this brown terrier holds an untold plea in his brown eyes, we at The Sunday Leader seem to recognise it. This is an SOS call to his master or to anyone who would want this brown gentleman with pretty brown eyes which are filled with sadness, anxiety and hope.

raneemoham@hotmail.com

When I woke up this morning, I remember that it is a special day. Special, because  in the afternoon I am going to visit Padma and her 60 dogs. “Sixty dogs?!” I can hear you holler. You see, that is the usual reaction of people. Let me explain: Padma has an unusually compassionate heart. She cannot resist abandoned puppies and sick strays. So, people always remember her when they find them and contact her. Sadly they suffer from amnesia “before” and “after”. So Padma’s treasure trove of abandoned puppies had grown at Tikiri Sevena* until it reached its grand total of 60.

Often seen on highways and byways hugging stray dogs she is acquainted with and giving them worm tablets, Padma evokes amazement in people. “Who is she?” they ask. Padma is a German national who has made Sri Lanka her home in order to care for abandoned dogs. She speaks Sinhala fluently and is very much at ease with the locals. Her life revolves around her dogs at Tikiri Sevana and various welfare projects for strays, leaving her very  little time for frivolities.

Among her 60-odd dogs is Sudu, my very own “find”. Something about this determined old fellow trudging tiredly along the New Gampola Road at Meewathura had got me and I had always kept an eye open for him. I had caught this woolly dog several times with expert help to get him treated for chronic mange, releasing him after treatment each time. The mange had always come back with a vengeance, and finally in desperation I had taken a rather pink dog to Padma :  Padma had “a way” with sick dogs.
The three-wheeler that takes Harshini, an acquaintance of mine, and me to Tikiri Sevana turns into a pleasant rural road at Hindagala, Peradeniya. About four kilometres from the junction, it turns left and speeds up a mountain road. The road becomes steep suddenly and I implore Tennakone our three-wheeler owner to allow us to get down and walk up the incline as I fear that the vehicle may flip back and turn over for our weight and the weight of the sack of rice at the back. The three-wheeler crawls up the hill and we toil after it bent almost double, much to the amusement of a group of elderly village woman standing by the side of the road watching us. “Townies” their smiles seem to say. Obviously, they take the hill in their daily stride.

The vehicle has been parked on a flat stretch of road and, panting heavily, we climb into it thankfully. We wind our way along the road and Harshini who has been to Tikiri Sevana before, spots the place.  We get off the three-wheeler and stand staring at a tall metal gate, outside which we see a slightly elevated wooden structure with sloping roofs. “What is this for?” I ask rhetorically, eyeing it. The gate opens for the bell and the tall, calm presence that is Padma stands in the gateway. She exudes her usual sense of peace and we are happy to see her. The wooden structure, she explains in answer to my query, is for the “outside” dogs, which do not like to be confined to the compound. Around five such dogs and nine dogs from neighbouring houses come to the gate at mealtime to be fed.
The house, an unpretentious one with a two-storeyed annexe, is situated further up at a higher level, in the middle of a spacious, well-kept garden surrounded by a wall. Plenty of room for the dogs to roam, I note with satisfaction. Padma does not believe in shutting up her dogs in cages. We step inside blithely and in that very instant the peaceful atmosphere that prevailed, undergoes an electrifying change. First, we are greeted with a volley of barks by a Warning Committee of about a dozen dogs seemingly doing “sentry” duty at the edge of an open balcony upstairs.  Next, we are surrounded by a large Welcoming Committee consisting of dogs of all shapes and sizes eager to be acquainted with us. If we are apprehensive of being mistaken to be providers of tasty morsels of raw meat, Padma isn’t. She turns and strides up the path ahead of us leaving us with no option but to follow her. This, we do gingerly keeping a wary eye on the dogs. On reaching the main building, Padma turns into a path that leads to the annexe, calling out “Seeya! Seeya!” I am surprised.
I hadn’t known that she had a hired watcher, or for that matter, needed one. “Is he the watcher?” I venture to ask. “He stays in the annexe,” she informs me disconnectedly in answer to my question. We have to report to the watcher, before being taken around, his name is Seeya and he stays in the annexe, I deduce. A few yards before reaching the annexe, I look down and notice that a dozen or so fat puppies have silently merged into the procession to waddle after Padma. Apparently, to them, Padma is Mom Number One.

Padma flings open the door of the annexe — without knocking first, I notice — and I draw in my breath sharply in surprise, for, inside, snoozing peacefully on the floor is Sudu apparently re-christened Seeya. Sudu lies in the best place in the entire doggy kingdom — under a table which holds a gigantic vessel of aromatically steaming food. Sudu continues to sleep, chest heaving gently, but the puppies would have none of it.  They swarm all over him tugging at his ears and fur. Sudu stretches out his feet lethargically and opens one lazy eye, A gleam of recognition comes to it when he sees me. The fact that he remembers me makes me happy. Slowly rising to his feet, he wags his tail and shakes out his now snow-white coat, presenting a picture of radiant health. Having got over my initial shock, I marvel at the transformation that has taken place in the lonely, miserable dog I had brought in.

Sudu refuses to follow us when we leave the annexe. He was definitely not going to risk being routed out from this wonderful haven and abandoned somewhere, if he  could help it. Remembering the plaintive ear-splitting whines of protest that rent the air whenever he was brought out of the confines of the ward, at the veterinary clinic, I leave him in peace. In the upstair section of the annexe, we are told, sick dogs or dogs that are recuperating after sterilization are housed. The other dogs also use them at times. On the way to the main house, we see a strangely grotesque shape with gnarled and twisted limbs, lying on an open cement floor. I am moved to pity. “My gosh! What happened to this dog?” I exclaim. “Lack of mother’s milk and nutritional deficiency when a pup, ” Padma answers and stoops to give the dog a vitamin tablet from the stock I have brought. While straightening up, she picks up one of the young charges at her feet and holds him snugly against her. One moment the puppy is fully awake and the next moment, not. “Look at him,” Harshini and I chorus, “He has  gone to sleep in your arms!” I eye the contentedly drooping head and realise that Padma has a tranquilizing effect on her dependents – perhaps there is something that emanates from within her which they sense. The large receiving room is bare of furniture. It is the section where the dogs sleep at night. Wooden benches are brought in for the purpose. Suddenly, something dawns on me. The entire premises are totally devoid of any form of doggy smell. I do not get a whiff of dog-droppings even. “How does she manage it?” I ask Harshini surreptitiously. I think that she gets some helpers from the village to sweep the floor and mop it regularly,” she tells me. The garden is cleaned of the dog-droppings  three or four times a day by Padma  herself, I find out later. In addition, there is a special toilet with a water seal  and a huge septic tank below, to dispose of the collected droppings.

Padma pauses to give a vitamin tablet to a young dog busily licking a wall as if its life depends on it. She then leads us to her small kitchen and offers to pour out fruit juice for us, taking out huge drinking glasses for the purpose.  Nothing fancy around here, only utilitarian items, you can be sure. We decline, saying that we had had tea just before setting out. I hide a smile, wondering how many bottles of juice she may have to use up if she is in the habit of serving drinks in these glasses.

From the kitchen, we move into a small dining room. Harshini who has walked ahead of me can be seen standing stock-still staring at something. I come up behind her to look at the object of her interest, and there, on a wooden unpainted table is a gigantic cat, the size of a half-grown dog. “Is he of some special breed?” we ask Padma, with rising excitement. Padma answers in the negative — he had simply grown to his enormous size she informs us. “Don’t take a fancy to him,” I tell Harshini, laughing. “You won’t he able to feed him!”  Cattie Bunter (I have by now named him) is not simply huge; he is also very amiable. Stretching out his fat neck, he rubs a plump cheek against my sleeve purring all the while. This, I find out, is a courtesy he extends to all the visitors. At this point, Padma looks down behind her, and in typical Sri Lankan style exclaims “Ei!” addressing the diminutive figure that has crept up behind her to tug away valiantly at her trousers. “What are you doing? This is the only good pair of trousers I have,” she chides and frees the cloth from the pup’s tender teeth.

We smile and step out into the yard. Padma points to a room which she says is her bedroom. We peer into the tiny room through an open window. Sitting upright in the rather spartan room, amidst the only personal goods Padma seems to possess, two cats meet our gaze and stare back. Suddenly, Padma remembers something, and turning, walks towards an outhouse near the dining room. She returns leading an Alsatian on a leash. “Are you keeping him for security reasons?” I ask brightly. “Not really,” she replies. “He belonged to a lady who said that she couldn’t keep him after her husband’s death. Her driver brought him here in the car. He had mange when he came.”

I am almost speechless with indignation. “So what made her think that you would be able to look after him?” I say heatedly. Padma simply smiles in reply. I remember that she once told me that sometimes people (misguidedly) ask her whether she keeps the dogs as a hobby. The cell-phone rings: Padma is about to have more visitors.

We decide it is a good time to leave and bid her good bye.  The gate closes behind us softly, shutting us out of a magical world of compassion and sacrifice.
*Tikiri Sevana’  is a Registered Trust.

Dr Rukshana de Silva — on a mission of mercy

She is a medical doctor and barely has any time to eat.  But Dr. Rukshana de Silva buys 50 kilos of rice every month.

Yes, she knows that too much carbohydrate can cause diabetes, but she also knows that death due to starvation causes unbearable suffering and an immeasurable amount of pain and tears.

“Where are we heading too? I have watched starving animals on the road being knocked down by speeding vehicles, struggle and moan in pain with their eyes open, only to be downed again by another speeding vehicle. What kind of society are we living in? Where is the love? Where is the care? Where are the feelings,” she asks in tears.

A few months ago, a female dog she was feeding was run over — the tyres going over her face and neck. “I rushed to her, the animal which usually came swaying her behind and her tail, with that long grin, was moaning in pain. She was in a pool of blood and as I called out to her ‘kalu, kalu…’ she breathed her last few painful breaths in my arms,” said this doctor in tears.

Dr. Rukshana de Silva recalls with anguish the day she saw some poisoned dogs lined atop each other in a hospital some years ago.

“When a large number of animals die a mysterious death, we know that they have been poisoned, but will these animals ever believe that their ‘best friends’ have poisoned them? How can a so called ‘human being’ administer a poison in food and give it to hungry animals?” asks this doctor.

With her heart in the right place, Dr. Rukshana de Silva is determined to change life for the suffering animals on the road. Right next to her is an engineer who is ‘good with animals’. “A van and a few men will help us get the hungry dogs off the streets. We plan to vaccinate them, treat them, feed them and give them the shelter and care they so badly need,” he said.

“But we need not go and catch dogs, they will come to us,” said Dr. Rukshana de Silva.

However this compassionate team has a problem, they have the heart, they have the determination, they have the drive and they have the manpower, but it is the land that they do not have.

This is a plea. This is a plea on behalf of every suffering animal you see on the road. We see dogs without food on sunny days, we see them with their stomachs sucked in on rainy days. We want to do something for them, but we just cannot get off our vehicles because we are in a hurry.  We see mother dogs in search of food just so that they can rush back to feed their young pups hidden somewhere in this wicked world. No one feeds them.  No one sees the plea in their eyes. The find a shopping bag in the pile of garbage and they pull it away and have a hurried mouthful of rotting refuse. Then they rush back. Sometimes they don’t have anything at all. Whom do they tell? Whom can they ask?

Dr. Rukshana de Silva says that workers in a petrol shed close to the STD clinic and the security officer too helps her in her mission of mercy. “If an animal is knocked down, they telephone me. I have ensured that all these dogs are vaccinated. They are not a threat to society,” said Dr. Rukshana de Silva who speaks glowingly about the Pets V Care Hospital on Staples Street. “When I take animals there, they are very helpful,” said Dr. Rukshana de Silva who spends a great deal of her earnings for the care and treatment of animals in distress.

“There is no such thing as a stray. Strays are created by us. When a female puppy is born, people go and dump it on the road. She grows up and litters and then they become her babies…, babies she is unable to look after,” said Dr. Rukshana.

“Imagine the pain of a mother who has to watch her offspring being run over? I have seen dogs run helter skelter trying to tell someone that her pups have been knocked down. I have seen other dogs watch a fellow mate doing the dance of death having been run over by a speeding vehicle, they all want to tell someone, but no one wants to hear,” said Dr. Rukshana de Silva who went on to observe that no one wants to listen to those who can talk, so who will bother trying to understand what the dumb animals are trying to say……”

“We have to salute President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his ‘no kill’ policy,” pointed out Dr. Rukshana de Silva who is also involved in  changing the gruesome fate of animals condemned to death.

“Some meat-lovers will ask us in alarm, so what are you trying to do? Stop us from eating meat? We want to remind them that as human beings we owe it to the animals to treat them humanely and not kill them in the presence of the others. How will we feel if  our sister, mother, father, or brother is killed in our presence….and we are going to be the next one? How insensitive can we get? We are called human beings becaue a greater degree of understanding is expected of us,” said Dr. Rukshana de Silva.

“Animals are knocked down by buses, vans and cars each day, but what can they do? They also have rights, besides everything else they have a right to live. When the rights of a human being are violated we take the violators to court. Who represents the animals?” asks Dr. Rukshana de Silva, the daughter of Advocate Mahinda de Silva, who was a great animal lover.

“When I was about six years old, my father brought me a gift. It was a plain cardboard box.  I thought it must be a doll. But when I opened it, out popped the little heads of puppies – a brown head, a black and white head, a brown and white head and black heads and brown heads. There were six puppies atop each other. Someone had dumped them on the road, neatly packed in a box — and my father brought the box and gave it  to me. I remember how we got them vaccinated and brought them all up. I felt like a mother duck as they followed me around saying ‘koook, koook’,” recalled Dr. Rukshana de Silva. It is a sound that echoes in her mind. “I will never forget the day I received this cardboard box till the day I die,” said Dr. de Silva.

We all look for compassion in doctors, and Dr. Rukshana de Silva seems to have enough for both humans and animals. Her years of experience and her vast knowledge in her chosen field have not stopped her from pausing to stop and feed a hungry animal.

“The animals I feed follow me around. I am not ashamed. We ought to be ashamed when we do not care for another living being. Look at these animals, these dogs, when we feed them once, they remember. There are so many dogs that I look after near the clinic. When I take them food every evening, they give me a hearty welcome. If  I go to see them without food, the depth of the welcome remains unchanged. The love in their eyes will not change just because my hands are empty,” said Dr. Rukshana De Silva.

Why are you talking about animals when there are so many suffering human beings?

This is one question that you cannot ask. Dr. Rukshana de Silva who  works at present at  the National Hospital’s STD and AIDS control programme, has done more than her share for human beings. A medical doctor by profession, she has spent long years working in various hospitals in the country. She has seen the blood, sweat and tears and her heart bleeds at the memories that are clasped in her mind.
She pays a great tribute to her Director who is also an animal lover. “Compassion is an essential quality — an important quality for every human being,” insists Dr. Rukshana de Silva.

“ I am determined to open this animal shelter. This suffering must stop. We will get the help of certain NGOs to continue to feed and treat the animals. We know of several NGOs  that are doing good work at the moment,” said Dr Rukshana de Silva.

Dr. de Silva and her team of good samaritans are about to give homeless animals a home. Land is hard to come by these days, but where can we take all our land to. We want take it with us when we leave this wicked world. But we can certainly take with us  the joy, the happiness and the comfort of hundreds of animals spared from starvation and a gruesome death.

Giving does not wholly mean giving parties. Giving does not only mean giving alms. Giving will mean more when we give those who cannot ask – those on the throes of anguish each day, and those who escape death by the violent roaring of wheels and the even more violent roaring of the pangs of hunger that threaten to rip the very linings of their being…

(raneemoham@hotmail.com)

What’s new Pussy Cat?

I dedicate this story to my ex’s colleague who had the guts to summon him to his office and tell him that his wife had said during a rather uptight dinner: “I would rather be home playing with my pussy!”; and just perhaps was it my lack of English knowledge which made me not know the slang meaning of this word!

Oh you simple soul or perverted mind who was bored at the dinner, seated by my side and let his twisted psyche wonder a little too much and hear “pussy” when I mentioned by brand new cat not even calling the animal a “pussycat”! I dare not think what the sad human being was fantasising about!

Coming from a country where the word “pussy” is not always used in a negative manner (how many times have I heard my old aunties run after stray kittens shouting “pussy pussy come here!”), I really didn’t think it was necessary to summon the ex and give him a lecture on English Grammar.

Bond girl Pussy Galore

The sad man probably forgot about the gorgeous James Bond girl Pussy Galore, an icon of female sex appeal or the hilarious film and great song by Burt Bacharach and Hal Donner What’s New Pussycat? Sadly the word now mainly has negative connotations: And it is pathetic that such a soft sounding word is now associated with the private parts of a woman or a derogatory way of describing a male who does not fit the macho Asian image of the perfect man!

But here’s the thing, I spent nearly 18 years of my life owning dogs and during the past  four years I owned two lovely cats and I am sorry to inform you male readers but after close observation of the two species, we are not the cats in the story and therefore our association to the word “Pussy” itself can be deeply questioned!

My  dogs were clumsy, lovable animals who unless close to death were generally happy. They ate what was given to them, were gentle with the kids, had shepherding instincts during dinner time and liked to rally the family into a pack like herd during meal times. They could read moods. I remember coming back home from hospital after a severe attack of food poisoning. I fell asleep on my bed, exhausted. When I opened my eyes, my German Shepherd puppy was lying down next to me with his eyes opened watching my face. He looked happy and a little worried too. He welcomed me with a big lick on my nose and knew that play time would be later on.
With dogs it is always about sharing, communicating and returning the love you give them. They will protect you the best they can and when it is time for them to leave you, they will let you know. One summer, I came back to Sri Lanka and my now old German Shepherd fell violently ill. At that time, I was taking a short break from a  crumbling personal life and the last thing I needed was to lose my best four legged friend. One day when I was alone in the house, he collapsed in the garage and didn’t have the strength to make in. He was a beautiful big dog, and I couldn’t carry him in. That day for the first time in my life, I begged and prayed to whoever was willing to hear my plea to not take him away from me because I would have not been able to deal with the loss of my pet and my future ex having long distance panic attacks and attention seeking sessions.
My dog survived exactly one year after that day. I like to think that he too heard me and made a special effort to pull through, just long enough until I was strong and ready to cope with my life.

Cats are not faithful

Don’t get me wrong, I love my cats too. The subject of the “pussy” conversation isn’t with me anymore and the second one I have now, just turned two. But the strange thing with these animals is that you seem to have been put on Earth to serve them! I have woken up every morning for the past two years at 5 a.m. to make her Royal Highness’s breakfast! No breaks on week end. If I do not do it, she claws my bed and licks my entire face with her rough tongue. They may come and give you a cuddle from time to time but this will depend on the animal’s mood, so basically the dispensing of affection is not up to the master! Their vocabulary is extensive, but they will understand only  what suits them. Cats are not known for being particularly faithful, nor can they be trained to protect their owners.

How many times have you heard someone say that their cat just “walked out and never came back?” pretty often in my case and hardly ever when it comes to dogs.

It is funny how even in children’s stories like Peter Pan, a dog plays the role of the family nanny. Now my fellow romantics, take a minute and just tell me why on earth are women called cats when they have a small fight, why do playwrights like Tennessee Williams title a play “A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” with a very sexually frustrated heroin?

Common, we ladies are not the cats; we are the shepherding dogs who can always be counted on, clumsy in their love but present in times of crisis. Men, they are the cats, sly and calculating in their dispensing of affection, always thinking that the world revolves around them. Though my cat is the cuddly type, he has never stayed on my lap for more than 10 seconds. Do I even have to make a parallel between my pet and the general sense of detachment which seems to hit most men once they are settled in a relationship?

I have learnt a lot more about love and the opposite sex since owning the pretty felines. I find men who own cats “creepy” as they quite obviously feel more comfortable with their fellow non committal, aloof, emotionally crippled animal mates. Men with cats, stay away from them and look for one who owns one!

So “pussy yourself”!