Rayanakere stray dog rehab centre nearing completion

Area: 5 acres. Cost: Rs. 2.60 crore. Inauguration: Mar. 28

Mysore/Mysuru: The first-of-its-kind dog rehabilitation centre coming up at Rayanakere on the outskirts of the city is getting ready and the facility will be inaugurated on Mar. 28, with some minor pending works. The rehabilitation centre will provide food, shelter and medical care to community dogs or street dogs of Mysuru that are living a neglected life without proper medical care.

A brainchild of Krishnaraja MLA S.A. Ramdas, the project is being implemented by the Animal Husbandry Department and is being constructed with a built area of 2.5 acres of the total 5-acre land at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.60 crore that has been released under Mahatma Gandhi Nagarothana Scheme.

Once the construction is complete, hundreds of strays that have been abandoned from the core city areas of the city will be shifted here and will be taken care of here so that they can lead a dignified life and will be provided proper medical care.

The dog rehabilitation centre will have a couple of sections. While healthy dogs will be housed in one section, the other will house sick strays. There will be a separate section for seriously ill dogs and facilities for treatment will be provided. There will be an exclusive section for pups.

“Orphan dogs, puppies, geriatric dogs, sick and rabid dogs and disease-infested dogs will be sheltered separately and treatment will be provided. We have an operation theatre that will have emergency surgery procedures and the machines that are worth Rs. 50 lakh will be installed,” Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Dr. Shadaksharamurthy told Star of Mysore.

“There will be exclusive isolation centres that will house those dogs that have the potential to spread diseases to humans and we have the necessary equipment and protection to treat such dogs. Also, isolation centres are available to treat the dogs for about four to five days,” he added.

MLA Ramdas said that it is for the first time that Government funds have been used to construct a stray dog rehabilitation centre. “We have received many complaints of dogs being attacked, poisoned and killed and we have seen how innocent beings suffered during the COVID lockdown. They have no place to go despite being seriously ill. Most of the pet owners abandon them after the pets become old,” he explained.

“Strays have to bear the vagaries of weather. While people stay cosy and comfortable indoors, these strays suffer in algid weather. We want them to have a decent life till they reach the end. The intention of the shelter is to protect the animals and at the same time, bring down their menace on the streets. It is just a humane way,” Ramdas added.

This post was published on March 26, 2023 7:59 pm