Millions sighed when Richard Gere uttered these words to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. And yet they ended up together in the end.
We’ve all heard of Mowgli and how wolves in the wild raised him.
Remember how King Kong was smitten by Jessica Lange?
More recently, Discovery channel showed a lioness guarding a deer like her very own.
Older men and younger women!
A STRAY DOG AND YOU! Impossible relationships?
Only if you believe it!
At Karunashram, we believe in the impossible.
A year ago, when three kittens were brought to us, we despaired over where to keep them. No shelter in Mumbai could take them in as they would pick up diseases. Finally we decided to keep them in our home and foster them. A month later, three more kittens were brought to us. We couldn’t turn them away as they had barely opened their eyes and so we took them in also. Difficult to manage, we were forced to look for other homes that would foster them for us. Fostering simply means taking care of animals until they are permanently housed.Luckily,a friend agreed and between the two of us, we started fostering 6 kittens. In the meantime we got calls about abandoned puppies and again the search began. Calls kept coming and out of a desperate need we began furiously hunting for foster homes.A lot of people told us that it was impossible to expect people to come forward to foster animals and permanent homes were as illusive as the BIG BANG Theory. By God’s grace, we have found both foster homes and permanent homes time and again since last year. A lot of people have come forward and we believe a lot more can. Mumbai is full of stray animals. Every now and then, an animal is hurt. Every second day, an animal is found abandoned. Shelters are filled to the rim. They cannot take in anymore. Where do these animals go? Into your homes? Yes, we believe they can if you have the space and the heart.
Currently, we have a small group of people who among themselves, foster these animals and also help to find homes for them. Adoption within the city is difficult but not impossible. It is possible if we publicize it to a large extent. For that we need to print leaflets. Mumbai is home to millions and a million or more leaflets will lead to a few hundred homes. A thousand leaflets cost Rs300/-.How much would a million cost? Think about it and let us know how we should do it. Better still, let us know if you will print a few leaflets for us.
30 leaflets could lead to 1 or more homes. When you think of it, the cost of saving one or more lives in this case is Rs9.00.Not much is it? If 30 people came together and spared Rs10 each for this purpose, it would result in homes for quite a number of puppies and kittens. All it takes is collective effort.
While there are homes in Mumbai, there are homes outside Mumbai as well. The Karunashram group members make trips outside Mumbai to look for homes. Right now, we have two people dedicated to this cause but both are working professionals and they can only do so much. We want more people who could undertake this activity on our behalf so as to increase the chances of adoption. If you have the penchant for traveling, call us when you are traveling and collect letters that carry information about strays for adoption .Drop it into bungalows along the way or meet people personally if you can. Someone may respond.
Fostering animals and finding homes for them can be a daunting task if you do it all by yourself. The need of the hour is strength in numbers. More foster homes, more leaflets, more permanent homes and more contributions. The entire process can take a month or more. In some cases even less. It is tiring and yet fulfilling .It is an activity that requires collective will more than anything else and a basic desire to help make a change in the lives of these animals.
All we need is one man and one more …
Mail us at adoption@karunashram.com if you are interested in helping us.
You can also call (0) 9967356078 directly and talk to Manisha Hariharan
