Established in 1994 by visionary individuals Mrs. Sunanda Das and Mr. Subir Das, the Blue Cross Society of Pune emerged from a heartfelt concern for the well-being of stray animals in Pune. Every dog or cat coming into Blue Cross Society OPD or IPD gets undivided attention and personalised medical care. We have a team of highly experienced in-house veterinarians and visiting veterinarians.
Stray dogs often follow humans for various reasons, such as search for food, companionship, or safety. Since these animals often live in harsh conditions devoid of good food, care, or affection, human presence seems like a ray of hope to them. Sometimes they can even follow due to curiosity, or they associate people with affirmations like they would give them food or affection. Understanding why stray dogs follow humans is necessary for both animal and human safety.
Immediate Actions to Do When a Stray Dogs follows You
Stay Calm and Assess the Situation
It is essential to remain calm when a dog follows you, as they can sense fear and anxiety. Being composed will help in thinking and acting sensibly.
Observe the dog’s behavior—whether it shows aggression, fear, or friendliness. Understanding the dog’s expression will help you with the next step of action.
Avoid Sudden Movements
Sudden action can startle the dog, and it can generate fear or aggression in the dog, so avoid abrupt actions.
While maintaining a calm disposition, move slowly and speak softly while avoiding direct eye contact, as it may seem like a threat to the dog. Walk away slowly without turning your back to the dog. These actions can keep the dog calm, and it may not feel threatened.
Responding Appropriately When a Stray Dogs follows You
Establishing Boundaries
If you are not uncomfortable with the dog following you, pause and look at the dog with a clam yet assertive stance. Don’t turn your back or make sudden movements.
You can hold your hand to signal stop, and with a calm voice, you can ask the dog to stay or go away.
Offering Help
If you think the dog is hungry but is friendly and you wish to help the dog, you can offer food and water to the dog, place it safely in the right place, and step away. Do not give any food items to your dog to take from your hand.
Maintain a calm demeanour, and if you think the dog needs some medical help or assistance, then contact the local animal support centres so that they can provide necessary assistance to the dog.
– How to contact BCSPune.org or other local animal welfare organizations for assistance. –
If you want to contact us for any queries related to stray dogs you can contact us at [email protected] or tollfree number 1800-419-9005
Considering Adoption of Stray Dogs
If you wish to adopt a stray dog, it’s a wonderful thing to do, as you are giving a second life to an innocent animal. And before you adopt, a few things to keep in mind are: spend some time to check on the dog’s physical health and temperament. Evaluate if the dog needs any specific training or medical care to ensure the dog gets crucial help to adjust to the new surroundings and people. Provide positive reinforcement, care, and patience to customize the dog to build confidence and trust with new family members. And schedule a vet visit for a regular check-up, discuss and perform sterilisation and provide necessary vaccinations.
BCSPune.org’s resources and support for new pet owners.
At BCS OPD we provide Free Anti-rabies vaccinations for stray and pet dogs. We also offer 9-in-1 vaccine at a nominal cost of Rs1000. This helps pet owners to vaccinate their pets yearly as it is pocket friendly.
We also offer diagnostic services and X-ray facility at nominal charges for pet owners and volunteers.
Talk to our vet on how to take care of a new pet in your family.
Preventative Measures
Community Involvement
Communities can help in several ways to manage and care for stray dogs. It can create an animal welfare group or collaborate with existing groups to address stray dogs’ issues. Public initiatives to educate about responsible pet ownership, the importance of sterilisation and ways to report unsterilised stray dogs’ sightings can help these animals. Volunteers’ programs to care for and rehabilitate the stray dogs, including creating safe spaces for regular feeding, fostering, and providing shelter options, can provide relief for stray dogs. To ensure maximum onboarding of people, it would be great to engage with schools, colleges, businesses, and government bodies for larger impact.
BCS Pune.org’s community programs and initiatives. –
Blue Cross Society Pune does conduct Anti-Rabies vaccination (ARV) drives for stray dogs with the help of volunteers. This program is aimed to vaccinate stray dogs against rabies. Vaccination creates herd immunity within the canine population which in turn helps the community.
BCS also conducts FREE stray dog sterilisation drives to control the dog population in a humane way.
Education and Awareness
Education and awareness play a vital role in responsible pet ownership and preventing abandonment of pets. Informative campaigns can provide necessary information to existing and future pet owners about the commitment needed for being pet parents and that it’s a lifelong commitment once you adopt a pet. They also get to know about the importance of sterilisation, vaccination, and regular health check-ups needed by the dog. Such educational sessions also make people aware of the low-cost veterinary services, animal welfare organizations, and other animal support groups that can help in responsible parenting.
Conclusion
If a stray dog follows you, it’s important not to react or run away, as it can trigger fear or aggression in dogs. What is essential is to keep calm and move away slowly while avoiding direct eye contact with the dog. These actions can keep the dog calm, and it may not feel threatened. You can also calmly ask the dog to stop or go away without startling them. In case you think the dog requires help, then you can check and contact the local animal support centers so that they can provide necessary assistance to the dog.
At BCS, we care for all the stray dogs and cats, and our aim is to ensure that they get all the necessary, timely medical help and care. We are happy to welcome any form of support towards us, be it for the adoption of stray dogs and cats, as volunteers, in-kind, or financial help. Every contribution, big or small, makes a significant impact.
If you are interested in supporting us, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. We would be happy to provide more information.