UNIT 17: YOUR THESIS SUBMISSION DATE: 5/8/2017 SaiPrasanna Iyengar Bangalore India P a g e 0 | 14 My life is complete. There are pleasant and unpleasant days. There are tiring and energizing days. There is excitement & anxiety on some days.... Once in a while I used to lose my cool & finally surrender to their abundant love! Life has come a full circle indeed, not because of their presence alone...because they subtly differentiated the meaningful elements from the ones beyond my circle of influence. What I am in this form, I owe to them. Thank you KARMA, for EVERYTHING. TABLE OF CONTENT Synopsis of thesis Who we are (CAREWEL – Canine Rehabilitation & Welfare Trust) History of Mongrels (Community Dogs) Community Dog categories Life landscape of a Community Dog o Barking patterns o Behavior, Communication & Emotions o Eating patterns o Type of food recommended o Food type to be avoided o Sleeping patterns o Common health issues & ways to address it o Common community dog issues people report & suggested resolutions The above sections supplemented with: Body language of individual dogs, alone and in a group The way each dog relates to each of the other dogs Signals between the dogs in the group, such as calming signals, posturing displays, anxiety, aggression, splitting up, playful behavior, avoidance behavior Carer Response- both while they are within the group and when returning to the carers Befriending a Mixed breed / community dog Statistics Stray situation in India Social & Moral responsibility Synopsis of thesis This thesis revolves around my observation of the last 18 years on the life of stray and community dogs (Living, eating, sleeping, behavioral, socializing & signaling patterns) with various animal & humans groups concluded by the current situation of strays in India, my project on it with the intent to humbly contribute constructively to this cause & animal laws in India that every India citizen needs to be aware of. The statistics presented in this thesis is based on a sample size of 200 dogs we interact with currently (not withstanding our pleasant exposure to over 700 + of them). While the stats may not be accurate to the dot & T, it may be viewed as an illustrative guidance for those who’d like to gain insight into the life of strays. The statistics is not meant to add up to a 100% and needs to be viewed for guidance on behavioral and emotional ratios within each community group. I’d like to start with introducing ourselves. WHO WE ARE - THE BIRTH OF “CAREWEL” – Canine Rehabilitation & Welfare Trust CAREWEL (Founded In the year 2006) has been involved with the rescue, welfare and adoption of stray dogs in Bangalore, Karnataka, India- since 1999 and working in tandem with other well established NGO’s (Non-government organization) CAREWEL has had over 700 stray puppies rescued, looked after and placed in adoptive homes. The organization takes care of about 200 Stray dogs in the area feeding and tending, with the help of 72% of the earnings of a family member and generosity of kind hearted spirits. The strays have been neutered/ spayed, and have been vaccinated against rabies. THE VACCINATION PROCESS IS REPEATED ANNUALLY. In addition to the above, “CAREWEL” also believes in providing a new lease of life to ‘under privileged’ children by funding their education, study materials, schooling requirements and free tutorials. There are 10 children registered in this program by far. In the year 2006, “CAREWEL” was founded by Mrs Saroj Iyengar & Mr Muralidharan Iyengar along with other TRUSTEES in order to serve the strays’ cause better. The operations is run from their Home currently by Mrs Saroj Iyengar & Ms SaiPrasanna Iyengar. Some of the continuously driven outcomes by CAREWEL include: o 1999 – 2017 – Animals tended to - 450+ o Rescue puppies, take care of them and place them in adoption by conducting ‘adoption programs and issuing advertisements – 50+ fostered, 50+ boarded, 25 domestic animals homed at their premises, 150+canines found loving homes through adoption drives o Arrange for periodic vaccination of strays against rabies and distemper – 200+ vaccinations till date o Arrange of ABC (Animal Birth Control) programs - 250+ ABC surgeries till date o Treat strays for illness and disease – 300+ canines treated till date o 150+ canines fed everyday – Ongoing activity since 1999 o Undertaken burial of 170+ strays over the last decade owing to lack of timely o Increase Animal, environmental and moral awareness among public All the aforementioned activities have been brought under the umbrella of “CAREWEL” TRUST. A glimpse at Carewel’s family – 1999 – 2017 History of Mongrels A mongrel or mixed-breed dog, is a dog that does not belong to one recognized breed and is not the result of intentional breeding. Estimates place their numbers at 150 million animals worldwide. Although the term "mixed-breed dog" is preferred by some, many mongrels have no known purebred ancestors. Furthermore, crossbreed dogs, while literally a mix of breeds, differ from mongrels in being intentionally bred. Although mongrels have at times been considered somehow lesser than intentionally bred dogs, they tend to be less susceptible to genetic health problems associated with dog breeding, and have enthusiasts and defenders who prefer them to intentionally bred dogs. Although mongrels exhibit great variation, generations of uncontrolled breeding and environmental pressures may tend to shape them toward certain general average body types and characteristics known as landraces, some of which may be developed by people into new breeds such as the Alaskan husky. At other times, the word "mongrel" has been applied to informally purpose-bred dogs such as curs which were created at least in part from mongrels, especially if the breed is not officially recognized. ** In this Thesis, mongrels will be referred to as “community dogs” for easier association with stray dogs who live in streets among communities. There are some pure bred strays who are not looked after by any community & this thesis is applicable to both categories. Community Dogs can be divided roughly into two types Mixes that show characteristics of two or more breeds. A mix might have some purebred ancestors, or might come from a long line of mixed-breeds. These dogs are usually identified by the breed they most resemble, such as a "Lab mix" or "Collie-Shepherd", even if their ancestry is unknown. The generic pariah dog, or feral Canis lupus familiaris, where non-selective breeding has occurred over many generations. The term originally referred to the wild dogs of India, but now refers to dogs belonging to or descended from a population of wild or feral dogs. The Canaan Dog is an example of a recognized breed with pariah ancestry. Pariah dogs tend to be yellow to light brown and of medium height and weight. This may represent the appearance of the modern dog's ancestor. DNA analysis has shown pariah dogs to have a more ancient gene pool than modern Until the early 1980s, mixed-breed dogs were usually excluded from obedience and other dog sport competitions. However, starting with the American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR) and the Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America (MBDCA), which created obedience venues in which mixed-breed dogs could compete, more opportunities have opened up for all dogs in all dog sports. Most dog agility and flyball organizations have always allowed mixed-breed dogs to compete. Today, mixed-breeds have proved their worth in many performance sports. Life landscape of a community Dog Barking patterns % of community dogs % of time spent INSECURITY TOWARDS DOMESTIC PETS 20% 5% P L A Y F U L 50% 60% G R E E T I N G 50% 25% EXCITEMENT 50% 30% TERRITORIAL BARK 30% 50% INTRUDER ALERT 50% 20% CHASING DOWN VEHICLES 20% 60% As you can see from the graph above, community dogs are not aggressive at all times and most importantly, until provoked or in self-defense. There is a large misconception about unfounded aggression in strays. At most times, they are playful and occupied in minding their own business. Like domestic pets / any other breeds we know, their lifestyle is no different. While a domestic pet would look for distractions and ways to keep themselves occupied within the bouondaries of a wall, community dogs find similar ways on the street. Just like domestic dogs, they like their space, respect and love. Since the street is their home, they are fiercely independent and strong with survival. They have an amazing road & safety sense. They carry a strong sense of belonging to the streets they live in and will go to any extent to protect humans living in it. The ones who are closer to humans take the liberty to walk in and out of their (independent) houses or apartments, greet them and even accompany them during short walks. They are sensitive about the humans domestic pets and provide an element of protection as well. Some times there is a bit of tension in the air owing to possessiveness and jealousy and an easy way of harmonzing the situation is to treat them equally in each others presence so nother of them feel superior. They have their ways of greeting “cautiously”. One must not mix it up with suspicison. Always look for signs on the tail, ears and eyes. The reason for this caution is based on their variety of good, bad and ugly experiences on the street, unfortunately. Community dogs are territorial. It is their way to protect their space. While 99% of the time they are animal-territorial, there is a 1% chance they are particular about their space with some humans too. Like rag pickers or bikers who tease them often or a particular person who may have harmed them in the past.