The VOSD SANCTUARY™ is the world’s largest no-kill dog sanctuary with a world-class residential hospital that has helped 10,000+ critically injured and abandoned dogs. VOSD has also administered over 300,000 treatments and has 1700 permanent resident dogs that live here forever. Dogs have come to VOSD from over 50+ cities across India.
At VOSD we have rescued dogs- blinded with acid, run over and paralyzed, sexually assaulted, slashed with knives, tied to train tracks- from across India. These dogs simply have nowhere else to call home. We provide them with a sanctuary of love and care. It is not easy to do what we do, but you can help us care for our dogs. Video courtesy: https://milaap.org/
Here are the stories of dogs who have made VOSD dog sanctuary their home for life after leaving behind a lifetime of abuse and agony. Your support can help us help many more dogs like these who face suffering and imminent death if we don’t bring them in to VOSD.
Dancing is the dog with the twinkle in her eye. She is named the way she is because neural damage and muscular dysfunction have caused it to appear as if she always dances. For the last two and a half years, she has been fed by hand and carried around, and never has to walk.
Husna came to us over 7 years ago after our Founder, Rakesh Shukla, rescued her from the road. She was badly hit in a car accident and lost her jaw entirely. Cut to now: She is a billy-goat in the making and can jump and run and spread joy to everyone. Rakesh named her after a song he was listening to around the time of her rescue.
Mama is the triple-amputee princess that still lords over the rest of us. She lost three of her legs in a train accident around 450 kilometres from Delhi. VOSD drove her and her six pups to Delhi so she could be given the best possible medical treatment before bringing them to us.
Shilpi is a Pakistani Bully-mastiff bred for dog fights. She was rescued in Delhi with tick-fever and nobody wanted to touch her. Shilpi was tiny and emaciated when she was rescued, but now towers over most of the VOSD dogs at a healthy 70 kilos.
A hotel owner rescued this Pakistani Bully-mastiff at first, but she truly reached her full potential when she got to the VOSD Sanctuary. Like Badi Shilpi before her, she was on death row. She is now the best friend of dogs and children alike.
Shahrukh is a Cocker Spaniel who was about to be euthanised by a breeder because he was born blind and had tick fever. Another dog shelter’s veterinary doctor tried to find him a home but all efforts failed, and this star is now happy with us. He has poor motor control as well, but he powers through like the Badshah of VOSD-wood.
“Not every home deserves a dog, but every dog deserves a home.”
Help VOSD continue to change the lives of dogs for the better.
Help us continue to be a home for dogs with no other hope.
Please support VOSD Sanctuary and Hospital by making a small donation today.
Dog shelters usually offer four options. Dog owners are allowed to bring in their dogs to the shelter for a variety of reasons. These dogs may be returned to the owner; they can be adopted by someone else; they can be transferred to another shelter; or they may be euthanized.
However, VOSD is a dog sanctuary and is not to be confused with a dog shelter. VOSD is a no-kill sanctuary that is a home for life for rescued dogs. They live a full life and are not turned away for any reason whatsoever. Euthanizing is not an option unless the dog is experiencing intolerable pain and there is no chance of a survival.
VOSD is their home in every sense of the word. They get the love, care, and complete attention they deserve. It is a non-profit organization and will remain so. Our every effort is towards creating the best ecosystem and infrastructure for India’s stray dogs and abandoned pet dogs.
VOSD provides funding/grants to a number of individual dog rescuers and stray dogs rescue organizations to aid in the rescue of stray dogs across India. This funding started out as a case by case basis and included infrastructural support to other agencies. VOSD takes care of funding for stray dog rescue as well as medical care all across India and for their transportation to the VOSD sanctuary and hospital in case the stray dog cannot find a home in its original location or cannot be released back on the streets after recovery.
At VOSD, we have rehabilitated dogs who have been turned away, abandoned and abused by their owners. When it comes to such animals, they often have lifelong physical and emotional scars and need to be dealt with a great deal of compassion and in-depth medical analysis and prolonged care .
VOSD is not a dog shelter, we pride ourselves on being a dog sanctuary where hundreds of rescued dogs live out the rest of their lives with dignity. We know it can be especially difficult to deal with abused or trauma-survivor dogs due to fear and feeling threatened. Here are the steps we use to successfully rehabilitate these dogs. If you’re the parent of an abused or abandoned dog, here’s how you can build trust with them.
Don’t rush it
If you’re operating a stray dog shelter, you must give these dogs time to settle in. Coming from a place where they have gone through physical/mental abuse, they must get enough time to adjust to your dog shelter and be comfortable with the surroundings. You need to gain their trust before they can be rehabilitated.
Delve into their past
If you’re trying to understand whether the dog was abused in the past or not, the best way to gauge it is their reactions. If the dog crouches in a corner in a defensive position, refusing to explore their surroundings, it can be a sign of abuse. Also if they flinch at the sight of a stick or rod it is highly likely that their previous owner or someone would have beaten them. Approach them gently and do not occupy their personal space. All beings need respect for their personal space. Gradually try to befriend the dog. Be patient. Ensure that you make them feel safe by keeping them well-fed and setting up a safe and clean space for them to rest.
The VOSD Dog Sanctuary is home to hundreds of rescued dogs who are unable to walk with one or all limbs. Triple-amputee Mama is one such dog that has made a remarkable recovery at the VOSD Sanctuary and Hospital. She has only one good leg but that does not stop her from living life like a normal dog. It took us months of treatment, physiotherapy, surgery, etc. to ensure her proper recovery and rehabilitation. Today she is a healthy and happy dog. We use different tools and devices to help dogs with orthopaedic problems recover well. These include use of dog wheelchairs, modified leashes, no-knuckling training socks etc. Local dog rescue shelters do reach out to us when they come across dogs they are not able to rehabilitate due to extensive orthopaedic injuries. VOSD admits such dogs for life long care and stay under our surrender process.
Any form of physical/emotional/mental abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, beating, etc. is cruelty to animals. In such cases, any pet dogs are deprived of necessities like food, shelter, care, regular vaccination, etc., and this also amounts to cruelty to animals. Animal cruelty is legally punishable in India under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
We understand that abuse in any form can be a traumatic experience for dogs. So, we give them enough time to recuperate in the new environment. We are the only dog sanctuary that accepts dogs who have suffered severe abuse. We never turn away any dog in need. We also take in retired service dogs (who have served the RPF, Indian Army, Police, Railways, etc). Dogs at VOSD are never chained and always have a caretaker or volunteer by their side.
In most cases, complete rehabilitation can take 3-6 months. However, if the dog is critically injured and the trauma is massive, then the duration can extend to many months depending on how much improvement is being observed in the dog’s condition.
If you would like to contribute your time to our rehabilitation efforts, you can sign up as a volunteer at VOSD by filling up the volunteer form on the VOSD website homepage. You may also donate. Donations above INR 500 qualifies for 80G tax exemption as per Indian tax laws.
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