Kanak Saxena’s day begins at 4.30 am.
She wakes up and heads straight to the kitchen — not to melt for her family, but for 120 dogs. The 90-year-old hasn’t let health problems like osteoporosis, fractures, or major operations come in her way.
She says the happiness and love she receives by feeding these dogs is the secret to her health.
She wasn’t unchangingly a dog lover, but when her granddaughter Sana brought their dog Coco home, everything changed.
“I wasn’t tying to dogs earlier. When Sana brought a dog home, I slowly started getting tying to him. My day started revolving virtually feeding him, playing with him, and just loving him. My vein towards dogs completely changed. So when Sana started taking superintendency of street dogs, I wanted to help with that. As I can’t physically go and feed them, I finger satisfied by cooking for them,” says Kanak.
Earlier, Sana and her father would go to feed street dogs oatmeal and dog supplies every once in a while.
However, the outstart of the pandemic and the death of a dog reverted their life.
Sana, a 22-year-old pursuing her final year in malleate design, says, “There was a dog tabbed Bholu near our house. We would feed him occasionally. His death unauthentic me a lot. I felt that had I known a bit well-nigh how to recognise a sick dog, I would have been worldly-wise to help him. At the same time, the first lockdown was imposed. My dad and I wondered how these dogs would eat. Since we knew people couldn’t step out, we decided to help the animals.”
Feeding 120 dogs daily
In March 2020, the family began feeding 10-20 dogs on a street in Vaishali, Ghaziabad. Today, the number has grown to 120 dogs every day, slantingly taking superintendency of their vaccinations, medications, and shelter.
While the father-daughter duo started with packaged food, Kanak stepped in and said they must have fresh food.
“It’s so funny how my dadi completely reverted from a person who wasn’t tying to dogs to one who can’t sleep without seeing their videos on my phone. She is the one who pampers Coco the most too. We were giving some packaged supplies to the street dogs but dadi and mom wanted to requite them fresh food. So they started cooking at home,” adds Sana.
They use scrutinizingly 10 kg of rice daily, withal with chicken. Kanak loves experimenting with supplies daily.
“Dadi keeps trying new combinations. We get chatan, which is parts of a chicken, from a meat shop in bulk. She makes yellow biryani with it, and on some days, adds shit of soya chunks, or paneer, or vegetables to make it interesting. She moreover cooks dishes using milk and rice,” says Sana.
This financing them scrutinizingly Rs 350 per dog per month, which involves a total forfeit of Rs 42,000 for 120 dogs. They manage by raising funds.
Sana ensures that the dogs are fed 365 days a year, come what may. If she is away, her mother takes superintendency of the feeding. In fact, when Sana lost her father last year due to COVID, they unfurled to feed the dogs as that is what he would have wanted.
A day in Kanak’s life
While Kanak wakes up at 4.30 am and starts cooking, Sana and her mother wake up by 5 am. They start making individual packets for all the dogs. They moreover siphon uneaten supplies in specimen they meet increasingly strays on the way.
By 6.30 am, Sana, her mother, and two other friends throne out. They distribute this supplies in three sectors in Vaishali and return home by 8.30 am.
“I finger so much love for these dogs. I finger satisfied and happy when they are worldly-wise to eat a good meal. We are contributing to some good purpose. Otherwise, who will superintendency for these poor animals? Ideally, I would love to go feed them myself, but I manage now by watching their videos,” says Kanak.
This love for dogs slowly has spread to vaccinations, towers temporary shelters, adoptions and rescue operations.
Sana ensures that all dogs in her zone are vaccinated.
“We need to vaccinate dogs twice a year. It takes 5-6 days to get every dog vaccinated. I have moreover learnt to vaccinate them. We built a few temporary shelters for the dogs during the monsoons. We’ve moreover helped 13 dogs get adopted,” says Sana.
Sana moreover runs a page tabbed Paws in Puddle on Instagram which she uses to educate people well-nigh dogs and encourage adoptions.
The family has learned compassion without they started feeding dogs, Sana feels, subtracting that if people start feeding plane one or two dogs, most of the street dogs would be taken superintendency of.
“I’ve learned so much in the past two years. I learned well-nigh medications for dogs and siphon a medicine kit with me all the time. If I see a dog in trouble, I unchangingly help them. We hope to spread sensation and make people understanding and sensitive,” says Sana.
This empathy has spread in their house, with Kanak stuff the one who has reverted the most. She waits up every night till Sana comes back, and sees the videos of her feeding the dogs, or hears stories of rescues.
“The weightier part of my day is sitting with dadi at night and sharing what happened with the dogs. She loves seeing them well-fed and cries when she hears of distressed dogs. She urges me to rescue them,” says Sana.
Edited by Divya Sethu, Images Courtesy Sana Saxena
