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Abandoned German Shepherd waited 8 hours for owner in Delhi market, rescued and renamed ‘Swiggy’
An abandoned German Shepherd waited eight hours in a crowded Delhi marketplace for her owner to return, before being rescued by animal welfare activists.
An abandoned German Shepherd waited eight hours in a crowded Delhi marketplace for her owner to return, before being rescued by animal welfare activists. The heartbreaking story of the German Shepherd – renamed ‘Swiggy’ by her rescuers – is tugging at hearts on social media.
Pet dog abandoned in Delhi
Swiggy’s story got social media’s attention after X user Ajay Joe posted about it on the microblogging platform. On January 14, Joe shared a video of a German Shepherd sitting on a parked scooter.
Joe revealed that the dog had been abandoned in a Delhi market and had been waiting for her owner to return.
“This evening, a dog was brought to a marketplace in Delhi on a scooter and was conveniently left behind—in other words, abandoned. The poor dog has climbed onto another scooter and has been waiting there for the past 8 hours, longing for his owner. His eyes are filled with hope and despair as he gazes around, searching for the person who left him,” he posted on X.
After the dog’s presence was noticed, animal lovers started planning a way to rescue her. One volunteer stayed with the German Shepherd till 3 am, making sure it was well fed and looked after. Another, named Renu Khinchi, began arrangements for an ambulance to move the dog to a safer place.
German Shepherd renamed Swiggy
Finally, the German Shepherd was rescued by Kaveri Rana, an animal rescuer and founder of Sophie Memorial Animal Relief Trust. After the rescue, it was revealed that she is a female dog and had been misgendered so far in social media posts.
“In our efforts to rescue her and ensure her safety throughout the night, we didn’t stop to consider the dog’s gender. The constant vigilance of dedicated volunteers played a crucial role in keeping her safe on the streets,” Joe said in a follow-up post.
The abandoned dog was named Swiggy in honour of the delivery platform’s initiative to reunite lost pets with their owners.
Joe and Rana, along with hundreds of other social media users, were united in outrage against owners who abandon their pets.
“Abandoning a pet is one of the most heartless and cruel acts a human can commit. Pets rely on us for care and love; abandoning them is a betrayal of their trust and loyalty,” Joe wrote, while Rana said: “Curse to the evil human who abandoned such a sweet, loyal doggo who kept on waiting!”
Swiggy the dog’s story has tugged at the heartstrings of thousands of readers, many of whom thanked her rescuers for ensuring her safety.
