Sheltering 2,500 dogs: This Bengaluru animal welfare organisation wants to save all canines

Cybersecurity specialist Haris Ali’s heart has always been full of love for animals, ever since he was a nine-year-old kid and would feed and take care of a pup in his neighbourhood. Tragically, he witnessed the pup being gruesomely beaten to death by the locals, which left Ali scarred at that young age and tied him to a lifelong commitment to animal welfare.

Years later, his path crossed with Madhusmitha Sahu, a fellow Bangalorean who would save every suffering animal she came across but also encountered public apathy and a shortage of funds. She got in touch with Ali through a WhatsApp group dedicated to animal welfare and together, they decided to solve for the hustle of everyday animal rescues.

In 2017, they started Sarvoham Animal Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to the welfare of street animals.

“We had one rented room, one caretaker, and 20 dogs,” recalls Ali in a conversation with SocialStory. The very next year, they hired a veterinarian, purchased their first ambulance, and saved more than 500 animals in and around Bengaluru. 

Standing strong against the odds

Data from the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small reveals that more than 4.9 lakh animals were subject to cruelty between 2010 and 2020. An estimated 60 million stray dogs (as per the State of Pet Homelessness Project) and 5 million stray cattle endure harsh conditions, hunger, and disease every day in the country.

Sarvoham currently houses 2,500 dogs, of which 200 are permanent resident dogs. 

The team employs a multifaceted approach to address the medical needs and rehabilitation of animals, as well as improve their quality of life. Street dogs are given vaccinations and sterilised, besides being administered emergency and long-term medical care. Dogs under treatment are given physical therapy, socialisation, and training. Regular adoption drives are conducted to rehabilitate them but terminally ill dogs and those who have survived permanent physical and mental trauma are given lifelong shelter and care at Sarvoham. 

Other than facilities like kennels, advanced diagnostic tools, and surgical equipment, Sarvoham is also among the few animal shelters in the country to have quarantine units for dogs with critical infectious diseases such as canine distemper and parvovirus that can prove fatal.

Donations from animal lovers, CSR funds, and prolonged support from the Infosys Foundation, Fortive India, and FIAPO, among others, helped Ali and his team of 12 people, including veterinarians, volunteers, caretakers and rescuers, save 1,000 animals and feed 600 dogs a day during the pandemic. 

Building a new centre

However, the pandemic made the organisation completely dependent on donations, as Ali’s earnings from his business stopped, and he was forced to start vacating their shelter at Jambusavari Dinne at JP nagar, Bengaluru. 

He initiated a crowdfunding campaign about six months ago to buy ten acres of land in and around Bannerghatta, Bangalore, which could be a permanent home to their rescues.

“We came to the decision to buy our own land, because the repetitive stress of being transported from one home to another, and the anxiety of having to adjust in a new place again and again will strain our rescued animals and might leave them psychologically and physically distressed,” says Ali.

Spreading its roots

Sarvoham also actively engages with the community through workshops and outreach programmes on the welfare of street animals, responsible pet ownership and minimising human-animal conflict. In 2019, it initiated community programmes for adoption, sterilisation, anti-rabies vaccination, and women’s safety. 

“One of the things we did was to educate visitors on ways to coexist with animals and sensitise them to the struggles of animals on the streets,” says Ali. “We also worked in tandem with the Karnataka government in campaigns to make roads safer for animals and caring for them with water bowls during summers.” 

Sarvoham has so far conducted more than 800 animal birth control operations and administered anti-rabies vaccines to more than 2,200 animals. This is one of the most effective ways to curb man-animal conflict.

Currently, with the donations that come, the organisation plans to set up a critical patient ward, more kennels, a sanctuary for disabled dogs, and a physiotherapy pool, among other infrastructural upgrades at the new centre they build. 

“We want to reach a point where we don’t say ‘no’ to any animal that needs our help,” says Ali.