A mixed breed Indian dog and her two children were being cared for by a family in Mumbai as their pets. Unfortunately, one of the pups named Eva would constantly get picked on by the mother and her sibling. They would pin her down and bite her, causing the poor girl to soil herself and howl in fear. These repeated attacks led to Eva being scared of people, loud noises, traffic during her walks and so on.
After trying for months the family managed to get her adopted, but the puppy was returned after a month because they weren’t “prepared” for a long-term commitment. At a point when it seemed like Eva had lost all hope of finding a home or love, the sweet girl was surrendered to VOSD.
Our team of caregivers spent weeks socialising with her. In fact, it took her a fortnight to allow us to touch her so we could remove her collar. Over time, she has opened up and started trusting us more, especially after we paired her with gentle dogs of a similar temperament. Her buddies Hazel and Jerry have helped her come out of her shell and today, she enjoys playing with them and walking up to people for scratchies!
All a dog needs is someone to understand where their fears originate from and what triggers their behavioural issues. Then, it’s a matter of time, patience, and positive reward-based training to help them transform from scared snappy dogs into confident ones. Eva still has a long way to go before she can truly live freely and enjoy, but we’re elated at how far she’s come in less than a month.
Please help us continue being a safe space for dogs who don’t have a home or hope, by donating for the operational costs of our sanctuary. A one-time or monthly contribution of INR 5,000 ($65) will help us save India’s vulnerable dogs: https://vosd.in/active-campaigns/monthly-expenses/.
Pet dogs who have no hope or a safe place to live can be surrender to VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital. For more information you can write to us at info@vosd.in
