The Animal Care Section of Tibet Charity organized 10 day Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti-Rabies (A-R) camp for the street dogs at Paonta Sahib, a small town in the North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, from 28th March to 6th April 2016.

A small opening function was organized on the 1st day of the camp. The opening function was presided over by Mr. Arun Goyal, the MD of Tirupatti Medicos. Besides him, the opening function was also attended by all the elected councilors of the local Municipal Committee led by their Chairperson and vice-chairman. The Tibetan Settlement Officer too joined the function along with some representatives from the Tibetan settlement.

The Director while giving his address dedicated the camp to the administration and people of Paonta Sahib who have been wonderful hosts to the hundreds of Tibetans living around their town. He also explained that it is the wish of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Brigitte Bardot Foundation France (BBF) that we expand the animal care program in areas outside Dharamsala.

All the speakers on the occasion expressed their sincere gratitude to Tibetans in general and Tibet Charity & BBF in particular for choosing Paonta Sahib as the first town outside Dharamsala for the camp. They promised all necessary help to ensure the success of the camp. Tirupatti Medicos promised to feed all the dogs that were brought for sterilization.

Straight after the function, team of dog catchers from Tibet Charity along with some volunteers went around town to catch dogs for sterilization. Starting from 18 dogs on the first day, 210 dogs were sterilized in 10 days’ time. Of these 130 were female and 10 were male dogs. Along with sterilization of these dogs, they were given anti-rabies vaccination and de-worming tablets. Before releasing them back at the place from where they were brought, small v-mark was made on their ears so that they are not caught again for sterilization.

Besides sterilization, few dogs were brought for treatments as well. Tumors were removed from three dogs.

Except two dogs that repeatedly opened their stitches, no major complications were encountered during the whole period of the camp. All dogs returned hale and hearty after staying under observation for three days in the case of female and one day in the case of male dogs.

Our team stayed three days after the camp just to look after the two dogs that opened their stitches. Special collars were made of small buckets and tied around their necks so that they don’t bite their wounds again. They were finally released completely healed.

At the end of the camp, a special closing function was organized by the Municipal Committee Paonta Sahib. The function was presided over by Captain J. M. Pathania, the Director of State Urban Development Department, Himachal Pradesh. He thanked and praised the wonderful work of the Animal Care Section of Tibet Charity. He requested Tibet Charity to carry out such sterilization programs in all other major towns of the State. He promised all necessary help in the future.

After completing the camp in the main town of Paonta Sahib, three day camp was organized in the Tibetan settlement. 28 dogs were sterilized and all the pet dogs along with the dogs brought for sterilization were given anti-rabies vaccinations.

Our staff also organized public awareness talk on Rabies using power point presentation for the school children and general public in the Tibetan settlement.

Before leaving Paonta Sahib, the Tibetan community organized special dinner in the honour of the Animal Care Section team of Tibet Charity. They thanked Tibet Charity for the success of the camp which they said will go a long way in further strengthening the tie between the Tibetan community and the local Indians. This camp, they said, will not only benefit the stray dogs in the region but also the general human population in the region.

Tibet Charity wishes to first of all thank Brigitte Bardot Foundation France under whose instruction and with whose financial support we have succeeded in organizing this most successful camp so far.

We thank Tibet Charity Denmark with whose support Tibet Charity has been carrying out various charitable activities for the benefit of the poor and needy, including the animals.

We thank Municipal Committee, Animal Husbandry Department and Tibetan Settlement Office Paonta Sahib who have been with us right throughout the duration of the camp making sure that all our requirements, including rooms for the camp and accommodations for the stay of our team, are taken care of. Our special thanks goes to Mr. Pradeep Dixit, the sanitation in-charge of the Paonta Sahib Municipal Committee who was the one coordinating between us and the local administration. He was our go-to man whenever we required anything.

Then how can we forget Brar family of PetsMart Paonta Sahib? They were as much involved as we were during the whole period of the camp. Right from dog catching to keeping curious onlookers at bay to ensuring that our team gets their lunch on time, they were all the time actively involved. Many a time, we were guests at their house for meals. Their unconditional love for the street dogs is highly praiseworthy.

Last but not the least; we thank Tibetan community in Paonta Sahib who took turn to help us during the duration of the camp. They have helped us in catching dogs, cooking food for the dogs, making tea for our team, cleaning the camp site every now and then or bringing morning tea to their rooms. They have not only made our task easier but they have made us feel at home.

We can confidently say that this has been our most successful camp so far and it is all because of the support we have received from everyone mentioned above.

We thank you all once again!