Love after lockdown: Abandoned pets find adoptive humans in Kolkata | Kolkata News – Times of India

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KOLKATA: Three-month-old Bittu has finally found ‘warmth’ in his new home. The Labrador pup was abandoned by his owner in the streets of Golf Garden a month ago, when he was only two months old. For a while, the helpless ball of fur barely managed to avoid getting run over or bitten by strays. But luck favoured the pup, who was spotted by a tea-stall owner. Since that day, the stall has been Bittu’s new home.
Barasat-based teacher, Pamela Dasgupta, has a similar adoption story. She recently adopted a stray kitten from Sodepur, which was abandoned by its owner.

“I came to know about Mew, the kitten, from an adoption group on Facebook. Both my son and I are pet-lovers. So, when I heard of this kitten, I brought it home. I am strictly against buying pets and prefer adoption. It’s a pity that people let go of their pets and don’t think of their well-being. Mew has got her vaccines and is very happy at her new home,” Dasgupta said.
IT professional Sutapa Dutta adopted an older dog, 12-year-old Golden Retriever Elsa. “I have always had pups at home, but having an older dog is a different experience. She is very mature and has built up an amazing bond with me,” Dutta said.
Bittu’s current owner, teastall owner Kalpana, recalls the day she found him. “My joy knew no bounds when I found Bittu after my pet Kalu died of an infection. But I was worried about his health. A friend warned me that pedigree dogs needed special care and that it could be beyond my means,” she said. Despite the cash crunch, she has got Bittu examined by a vet, charted a vaccination schedule and has already got the preliminary round of vaccinations administered.
However, not all pets are as lucky. While the pandemic played havoc in human lives, people found new hobbies to keep themselves busy. Alongside baking sprees and virtual concerts, the other raging quarantine trend was pet adoption. Now, as life returns to normal, many new pet parents don’t want to shoulder the additional responsibilities.
“I have rescued many such pets. But we have a limit to taking in pets. The rate of people abandoning pets has gone up since offices have started reopening,” said Sukanya Dey, secretary of A1–Animals Come First, a non-profit animal welfare NGO. Saswati Mukerji of Paws in Hope, which sterilizes strays, has also come across several instances of dogs being abandoned after offices started reopening.
Rajib Ghosh from KMC’s health department, who looks after vaccination of stray dogs, confirmed that he has seen confused and abandoned pedigree dogs on the streets. Prasenjit Dutta, advisory of Pashupati Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), also said he had received innumerable calls from people who wanted to give pets up for adoption.
Psychologist Chandana Bakshi says people’s emotional response to the pandemic ranged from denial to agitation, followed by depression and then slow acceptance. According to veterinarian Krishanu Ghosh, pet adoption as a concept has gone up in the last few years and social media played a huge role in influencing people to adopt. “Adopting during the lockdown was one example of people taking in pets as ‘toys’ and ‘mode of entertainment’. I have seen a lot of people abandoning pets just because they found the animal had health issues,” Ghosh said.

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