Desi dogs, foreign homes: Rescued Indian dogs find forever homes overseas

Delhiites love their pets, so much so, that they’re more like family members to them. And, while a majority still tries to buy expensive breeds, there is a rising number of those who prefer to adopt and not shop, after all, we have some great desi breeds available too. But it isn’t only the denizens who seem to have taken a fancy towards bringing home an adopted dog, the demand for doggos has great international appeal too!

Various shelters and NGOs provide rehoming services internationally, and help these dogs in finding a forever home, here and abroad. One such collective is Kannan Animal Welfare (KAW) — an animal welfare project of the Kannan foundation — which has a small care centre based out of Noida that houses around 80-90 resident dogs at any given point of time.

Vandana Anchalia with one of her rescues.

So, how does this relocation work? “There’s great demand for adoption of desi dogs and other breeds abroad, and we tie up with rehoming partners to help us get these dogs to their new homes. Some of these partners include Operation Paws for Homes, Rescue Without Borders, TLC Canine Rescue, Street Dog Hero, Indian Street Dog Foundation, United Doberman Rescue of Minnesota, Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue and Adopt An Indian Desi Dog (AAIDD). Why we don’t do anything directly is because there’s always risks that in case the pet parents decide to abandon the dogs or just not keep them anymore, they may or may not contact me directly. I’m not a legal entity in US or Canada (or any other place for that matter), and these rehoming partners help us with drawing up the contracts and whatever other paperwork is required in making the move,” says Vandana Anchalia, founder of Kannan.

“In the off chance that one of our child is in danger or is going to be abandoned, or can’t be kept by the parents anymore, they can always be brought back to us. We’ve sent about 48 dogs till now, and none of them have been returned to us; plus I get regular updates about them, too,” adds Anchalia.

How the doggos travel?

As far as the travel is concerned, Vandana Anchalia explains that each dog that’s supposed to be sent abroad is trained well in advance. “They are crate trained so that there is no unease for them during the travel. We use a pet relocation agency (AirPets Relocations Services) that helps us in transporting the pets. Every aircraft that allows a live pet, has a pet hold in their cargo section. The pet hold takes care of the pressure and temperature required for a safe transport, and the pet is lodged there in a safe crate for whatever hours it takes,” says Anchalia.

“We never send the pets on direct flights and always try to take a halt in Amsterdam or Zurich, basically wherever there is a pet hotel. During the halt, pets are taken out, taken to the hotel, are checked and fed, and their crates are cleaned too. Since we don’t recommend feeding the pets on air, we only have water provided to them in the crates and feed them wherever the halt happens,” adds Anchalia.

Here are some success stories of doggos who found homes abroad:

JEEVITH

Before and after pictures of Jeevith.

“The choice of adopting a desi dog was not something I consciously decided. We wanted another dog, and we wanted a special needs dog. In my search, I found my first desi girl, and once she was with us we fell in love with her. After that, it was an easy choice to adopt another desi with special needs,” says, Mary-Ann Eastman from Canada.

LUCKY

Before and after pictures of Lucky.

“Lucky is special because despite what she’s been through, she loves everyone, plays with children, is protective of her family, and is my special needs dog for my anxiety,” says Nicole and Dan Turner from Chicago, USA.

ANNIE

Before and after pictures of Annie.

“Annie came to us scared and confused, but after only a few days she realised we were her new family and she put all her trust in us. She is extremely loving, playful, very smart, easy to train, good on leash, very gentle with children and an all around great dog. We are so lucky to have found her and we are so happy to have adopted a desi dog,” says Kristi Dee and Lou Vincent from New York, USA.

BUDDY

Before and after pictures of Buddy.

“I am the proud mom of three beautiful desi dog’s of India. There aren’t enough words to describe how truly loving, intelligent and grateful these beautiful creatures are! Their love and enthusiasm for life is amazing especially given the tough life many of them have lived while on the streets in India. I have nothing but praise to say for being blessed to have these dogs in my life,” says Theresa D’Urso from New York, USA.

MAYA

Before and after pictures of Maya.

“I adopted a desi dog named Maya in March 2017. Maya had been rescued by Kannan Animal Welfare as a small puppy after being hit by a car. She was brought to the United States by Operation Paws for Homes, a local rescue group based near Washington, DC. I saw Maya on their website and was intrigued by her story. We have had her for a year, and she is a delightful dog — smart, loyal, playful, and energetic. She is determined to be a lap dog even though she is too big for laps — she can always find a way to squeeze into any lap! She is such a unique and lovely dog that I was inspired to volunteer to help more Desi Dogs come to the US to find homes. These dogs are amazing, and KAW does amazing work to help them,” says Irene Skricki, from Washington DC, USA.

SUGAR

Before and after pictures of Sugar.

“My partner, Cam and I adopted our desi dog (originally called Sugar, now named Bowie) from KAW last March during a trip to India. I had been there 10 years earlier, and was really affected by the stray dog problem, so I made a promise to myself to come back at some point and adopt a little Indian desi pup. We had considered adopting another breed or mixed dog from Canada, but desi dogs are just so incredibly sweet, smart and aware, and we fell in love with our Bowie right away. He has brought so much joy into our lives over the past year and we’re so grateful for everything KAW did in organizing the adoption for us,” says Sarah Dickens from Canada.

MEENU

Before and after pictures of Meenu.

“I think many people might be like me. We began by spending time in India and falling in love with it but have been just heartbroken to see so many injured and ill dogs. So, of course, the number one reason is to give one of these dogs a chance for a wonderful life. But there are other reasons, too. They possess a complex intelligence that combines cleverness and wisdom that I’ve rarely seen in ’breed’ dogs. They can be challenging, to be sure; but to form a bond with one of these dogs is so very rewarding. It will always be a desi for me,” says Karla from Canada.

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