How to treat the World III: Day of the Dogs

- December 01, 2021

After a little vacation, I (Ethan Stranger) will be completing a Trilogy (that Started with “How to treat the World” & then continue with “How to Treat the World II: Languages & Ages”), today I (Ethan Stranger) will be talking about how we (the People) can make the world a better place for (not just us) but for all Stray Dog-Kind (as well as for other animals, in general).

To start things off, we need to go back to late 2015, where (at the time) I was living in Kathmandu, Nepal, where I was just a simple High School Graduate about to have my whole life turned upside down (for the greater good or worse) because my family was moving to a whole different setting on the other side of the world. At that point in time, I (and even my parents) felt like I needed to do something to help me mature and start facing the world, eventually, I found me an animation academy for me to study at, however, I also needed some “working skills” (both hard and soft) (for many of my friends, even before they graduated, had already applied for jobs).

I soon found myself a volunteer gig at this animal shelter: KAT CENTRE (I mention that place in my Aspergers for Hire post), from there, I began feeding the dogs (even removing ticks from their bodies), I also washed their food bowls (even donated some new food bowls), gave them some water and even kept the puppies. I’ll never forget when a mysterious disease affected the puppies (they fell sideways to the ground), foam coming out of the mouth & eyes were boggling), the staff at the KAT CENTRE did their best to save the puppies, but sadly it was no good (even I myself felt helpless in this time of need).

A month before the start of 2016, I had to stop going to the KAT CENTRE for 2 reasons: “Due to a fuel crisis between Nepal & India at the time & that I found myself an actual paying job”, but despite this, I was still willing wanting to help the KAT CENTRE in any matter of form (for I’ve always had a strong love for Dogs, especially these Nepali dogs that I’d witness at KAT, for they didn’t ask to be left abandoned on the streets). Looking back, I’ve always felt I've had a special connection with some dogs. Having grown up around them, I've always been able to create a relationship with them and feel comforted by their presence. Unlike other animals or humans, most dogs will not judge you or really don’t care about your persona at all, they're just looking for a place to belong (just like we all do) Plus it also goes well with this song:

While attending my new (paying) Job I was still keeping in touch with KAT, I originally suggested that my new job should make donations to the center, however, I was told that they can’t get involved with donations, so the next idea was to “form a partnership with my boss & the Head of KAT”. It worked out great (KAT kept my boss updated about their news that she shared with the other workers), I would also help KAT by informing them of any street dogs in need of rescue (though that proved to be difficult since they only had one car). You see that dog (Pictures: Left & Right), her name was P.D. (Phora’s Dog), I found her all cuddled up outside a bakery, it took a while before finally, KAT rescued her from the streets (even I remember when I returned to volunteer for KAT briefly again, she remembered me, though she wouldn’t like it whenever I had to remove ticks from her. Just before I left Kathmandu, KAT informed me that P.D. had died in her Kennel & it really brought tears to me that day (for I remembered seeing this poor creature, all curled up attempting to find her happy place while force to live out on the streets, when finally rescued, I had high hopes that she be adopted into her forever home… but now she’s gone… circle of life I guess.

I’ll admit 2 things, the one thing I wish the KAT Centre can improve on doing more adoptions (for in many animal shelters within poor countries, doing adoptions is quite difficult, for mainly KAT would rescue an injured dog, clean up their wounds (then getting them spayed or Neutered) before releasing them back onto the streets. It's important to consider that KAT’s real mission is to control the street dog population (which is difficult to do). Plus their faculty (at the time) wasn’t large enough to house so many rescued dogs and they were very limited resource-wise. Another thing I’ll admit is that while (during my time in Nepal) while I wasn’t able to save all of the dogs, I felt like whenever I adopted Chewie (read more about him in my other posts: “Flying Pet Airlines & Asperger Pets”) I felt like I rescued a little bit of Nepal (for I often wonder what kind of life he would’ve had if he & I never met eye-to-eye).

So in conclusion, while I’m in Hyderabad (India), which, to be honest, has a few Nepali vibes, I can't help but feeling and remember the way I was able to contribute to helping dogs and animals back in Nepal - mainly a big factor is due to seeing so many street dogs (Pictures: Left & Right). As you might be imagining, I was hoping to find an animal shelter to either volunteer or work part-time, however, due to the Pandemic still going on, those plans have been put on hold indefinitely. But I have joined up with a small group that helps feed the street dogs around the area I live (like this one, Picture: Right, his name is G.D. “Guard Dog” ). It’s good to see that some people out there do care about the stray dog and cat population in the world, I’d just like for even more people to get involved and directly help. If you see a stray dog in need, take it upon yourself to aid him or her by bringing the poor creature to a local animal shelter (but if there isn’t one, sometimes you gotta take matters into your own hands), helping these street dogs can be a major step in making our world a better place. It’s just like what Dr. Seuss & Mr. Peabody would say: