Change a life, one wag-in at a time!

By Shreyas Jayakumar

17th Dec, 2012

She was just a baby. Having entered this world barely a few weeks ago, she was already alone, hungry and scared. Her big, black eyes were like a bottomless pool of pain and fear, with occasional ripples of hope and longing spreading across them. All she wished for was for a meal, a warm bed and a big heart to share. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Apprehensive, she hid, but the voice that called out to her was soothing, the food that was held out to her was tempting and the arms that enveloped her were oh so comforting.  Is this what love felt like?

This is the story of Rackles, a 45-day-old Indian Breed puppy who was rescued from the unforgiving streets of Bangalore. Having gone through a series of foster homes, she is now the darling of a wonderful family who absolutely love her. Rackles was lucky. So were Pickles, Zulu, Betsy, Johnny and Biscuit – saved from a terrible life by ordinary people like you and me, with a will to help. Unfortunately, not every puppy or dog on the street gets to lead a life with such a happy ending.

Photo of Rackles in her new home, chasing bees

All that one needs to do to ‘Wag-it-Forward’ is to do a simple act of kindness. This can be as easy as dedicating one post per day on your Facebook wall to help find a loving home for a puppy, getting your friends to chip in to sponsor a dog’s medical treatment, buying gifts for your loved ones from an organization that donates a part of its proceeds to animal welfare, spreading awareness on ABC (Animal Birth Control), addressing basic healthcare and nutrition needs of the dogs on your street, saving that leftover slice of bread or bowl of rice to feed the nursing dog outside your apartment, volunteering your time or skills at an animal shelter, providing someone with contact details of NGOs or animal rescue centres that can spay/neuter or treat injured animals, cancelling your plans for a movie just so that you can foster a puppy for a day or giving a new lease of life to a dog by adopting him/her. We have all seen the problems around us but now is the time to do a tiny bit because in this case, a tiny bit goes a long way and makes a huge difference.

Creating awareness on the internet regarding Indian Breeds is easy, but goes a long way. This is a screen shot from Daily Puppy Website that features one puppy a day. Rackles was featured as puppy of the day.

Here is a page out of the CUPA Calendar – a collection of fantastic & exclusive photographs that supports animal welfare. Usher in the new year by Wagging-in

For every act of kindness that you ‘wag-in’ on the website, there are a certain number of points allotted that are then tallied up on a weekly basis to reflect the community’s collective Kindness Quotient (KQ).

Some products from the Poonch Collection – stylish products that support animal welfare. Wag-in in style!

Unlike most initiatives that usually start out strong and then slowly trickle down, Bombat Dawgz’ Wag –it-Forward campaign seems to have gathered momentum with each passing day. Considering that 5000 KQ points was set as the target for this year, it is a reflection of the community’s willingness to go above and beyond that ensured we have already crossed 19,000 KQ points with 2 weeks to spare. No mean feat indeed.

What is absolutely brilliant about this concept is the fact that we are all directly bringing about a change in the life of an innocent animal. With two weeks left to go, there is still time for us to ‘Wag-it-Forward’ and show these wonderful animals that they are not alone.  Even one small act by each of us might help save a life. The world already seems like a much nicer place. Rackles and gang will testify to that. You and I are proof of that. So go on, change a life, one wag-in at a time. And while you are at it, take the time out to hug your pet today.

For details, visit Bombat Dawgz Website and go straight to the ‘Wag-In NOW!’ section to tell us more about your act of kindness.

Zulu getting the much needed medical attention and the love of her foster parents