(LK) article by SOFA, which will appear in Kennel Corner of The Island tomorrow

[Guest guest]

This page is dedicated to our canine friends and it should not be used for

disputes, therefore my response to Dr.Jayasinghe's attack against SOFA can

be read on our website (www.sofakandy.org) with all details including the

names of witnesses.

 

Today I want to introduce two new-comers to the Tikiri-Trust-Shelter, I

called them Arupolly and Watapully.

 

Watapully I found in a drain on the day the KMC had a sterilization-clinic

in Watapulluwa. First I did not realize what had happened to her, she was

dazed, traumatized, frozen with fear. Then I saw another dog, who could

hardly walk, two children tried to shuffle him across the road, I was

wondering whether they need help, so I asked them what had happened to their

dog, they said it had been caught, operated and just now they found him and

try to bring him home. Then I looked at Wattapully's stomach, she has not

been operated on that day, but I could feel muscle-sutures under her skin

and therefore knew that she has been sterilized in quite some time ago

because no scar was visible any more. So the same thing has happened to her,

what has happened to hundreds of dogs since the Central Province

Sterilization-Program has started: even though they are already fixed, they

are being caught again, transported, anesthetized and then only, just before

cutting, the vets check for muscle-sutures. So at least now I knew, that she

was not sick or injured, but just under the effect of the anesthetic drugs,

so there was nothing to worry, I could take her home, let her have a good

sleep, treat the mange and then return her later. But when I wanted to

return her after few days, I showed her to many people in the area to find

out the place where she really belonged, but nobody knew her. Several people

told me that on that day many dogs have been released here totally drowsy,

most of them have not been seen in the area ever before .they were all

totally lost. Of course I could not just leave her in that lane under such

circumstances and so now she has become a happy family-member at my

residence.

 

During that week I received several calls from people, who saw dogs on that

terrible Saturday wobbling in the middle of the road, even fast asleep in

the middle of the road in Watapulluwa and Asgiriya. The people, who called

me were animal-lovers, they stopped their vehicles until the dogs had

finally moved away, but we all know, that not everyone is like that, so we

can only hope, that not too many died that day.

 

Arupolly was found on a garbage-dump near the Arupola Bakery-Junction, a

young lady, living there, had called me because of two puppies, which had

been dumped there. When our driver went there, to pick up the two pups, they

saw a very skinny mangy female dog, bit bigger than the pups, she had a

Nylon-suture in her stomach, so she must have been also sterilized on this

terrible Saturday. The young lady said she had not seen that dog there

before. so the driver brought her to Kandy town, where I was trying to find

out why Sherry, the Flower-Song-dog, who had been sterilized by SOFA five

years ago, had so many wounds on her body. The SOFA-volunteer, who feeds

Sherry every day, had called me to help her getting Sherry treated, she also

said that Sherry was very nervous and fearful since some time. When we

checked her body, we realized what had happened to her, she had been caught

in the Bogambara-night-program, of which we could see a photo in last week's

Kennel-Corner, but in her case the vet has not checked for muscle-sutures,

made a big cut, probably because he could not find the track, he must have

cut it bigger to search until he finally realized that she was already

operated and then he sutured her again and now all the suture-holes are

totally infected. We have started an antibiotic course for Sherry

immediately and hopefully she will be alright soon. Then we proceeded to

pick up a kitten, which had been found at Kataragama Devale and went home

with four new inmates for our already over-crowded shelter.

 

I don't think I need to make any more comments.

 

I am happy, that Sherry has someone, who looks after her and I am happy,

that I was able to rescue Arupolly and Watapully, but how many are roaming

lost and hungry, getting wet and beaten and chased away, dumped and

re-dumped again and again. now even in the name of " humane

dog-population-control " !!??

 

I have already 60 dogs and 20 cats at the Tikiri Trust Shelter, which has

only 60 perch of land and I will not be able to take in any more unless at

least some of the 20 pups get adopted. Please call me if you like to adopt a

lovely female pup or a sweet little kitten: 0777-426229