It was early morning when we had to leave for our trip to Palampur. We got ready and headed straight out. It was cold and windy just when my mom brought up the topic of the stray dogs and how they would be feeling cold right now.
After hours of driving, we took a break, so we stopped by a mall. We went in… After everyone had finished eating I asked my parents to allow me to walk around a bit. They said yes, so I excitedly started to walk here and there. I saw many cardboard boxes inside the mall and started to wonder what they were there for. Soon enough I realized that the stray dogs slept in them.
They deserve love and care too! They do not get unconditional love. On the way back to Gurugram I noticed that the stray dogs were barking at everyone’s cars. It made me realise that we have invaded their space and we have no right to be angry at them when they are barking at our cars. We should rather be kind and help a stray dog find a new home, a place where nobody can invade their privacy. Along with some friends, I began an initiative to care for the stray dogs in our locality where the dogs were vaccinated regularly, and they didn’t have to rummage dustbins for food. We also urged the people of our locality to adopt a stray dog instead of buying one thus trying to bring a piece of sunshine in the lives of these carefree creatures who were born on the streets and left to fend for themselves.
thespace.ink has collaborated with ‘Word Munchers’, a creative writing platform that trains and encourages kids and youngsters to hone their creative writing skills. thespace.ink will be publishing two short essays by students of ‘Word Munchers’ every Saturday.