Manka Behl| TNN | Updated: Nov 8, 2016, 10.02 AM IST
NAGPUR: Residents of Martin Nagar woke up to a disturbing sight on Sunday morning. On a pavement turned into a garbage dump lay two dogs, shivering and covered with vomit. They certainly didn’t look like strays, one was a Labrador while the other was a German Shepherd.
Nobody knew who dropped off the two to die, since it must have happened late in the night. Some youngsters called up local animal lover Sourabh Kamle at around 11am. An entrepreneur by profession, he had previously rescued abandoned animals.
Seeing their condition getting worse, Kamle tried to get medical help but no vets were available since it was a Sunday. “Both the dogs were very weak and vomiting continuously. The Labrador had high fever. I tried calling some NGOs and veterinary doctors but nobody was ready to come,” he said.
Unable to find an appropriate shelter, Kamle rented a shanty in a nearby slum for Rs1,500 to temporarily house the dogs. At last, he also found a private vet who agreed to come and check the animals. “The Labrador, which must be a year old, had 104 degrees temperature. The six-seven-months-old German Shepherd was very weak too. It was clear that both dogs had not been given food or water since more than a week. They couldn’t even stand on their legs,” said veterinarian Dr Pravin Harane, who treated them.
From the behaviour of the dogs, it was quite evident that they had once been somebody’s pampered pets. “They refused to eat chapatis or bread, and are only eating Pedigree dog food and chicken. Both don’t eat by themselves, but have to be fed. It seems the dogs had been with a well-to-do owner earlier,” said Kamle.
However, both dogs are nervous and agitated most of the times. “The German Shepherd has an injury mark on one of its limbs. It looks as if it was beaten. There is a possibility that the dogs were tortured by their previous owner,” said Kamle.
During examination, Dr Harane found that the Labrador had delivered puppies around two months back. “There are many possibilities. Either they belonged to an illegal breeder, who abandoned them once they delivered. Or to an owner who did not want to take responsibility of female dogs fearing menstruation or pregnancy. Whoever the owner was, he definitely starved and tortured them,” he added.