Bachchan residence turning into #1 spot for abandoning dogs

Bachchan residence turning into #1 spot for abandoning dogs
Animal welfare NGO, activists say at least one pedigreed dog is found abandoned every week near Jalsa, as he is known to be an animal lover.

Owners of pedigreed dogs are abandoning their pets in the vicinity of actor Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow ‘Jalsa’ in Juhu, probably because they feel that Bachchan, an animal lover, might adopt their dogs, with reports of at least one such dog being found every week.

While it is not known if Bachchan has adopted any of them, activists report spotting and rescuing at least 60 pedigreed dogs found wandering the streets near the veteran actor’s bungalow over the past two years.

Abhishek Soparkar, co-founder of NGO Youth Organisation in Defence of Animals (YODA) said activists initially put it down to sheer coincidence, till the numbers kept increasing. “All are pedigreed ones. The owners usually abandon their pets at night. Eventually, one of our volunteers or an animal lover spots it and calls us,” Soparkar added.

This week, YODA got a call from actor Sonalli Sehgall, who had come across a two-year-old Great Dane near Bachchan’s bungalow. “The dog was suffering from skin infection and Sonalli took it to Bombay SPCA for treatment. Nobody saw the owner abandoning the animal. All we know is that it was found near Bachchan’s bungalow. The owner must have thought that the animal might get adopted by Bachchan, considering he too has a Great Dane,” said Soparkar.

Similarly, in January this year, YODA found aCocker Spaniel, and a German Shepherd and a Pomeranian were found a couple of months ago. “The stream is steady. It is almost as if dog owners who want to abandon their pets have taken a fancy to Bachchan’s bungalow. In fact, there is a joke doing the rounds that people wanting to adopt pedigreed dogs simply need to take a walk around Bachchan’s bungalow,” he said.

Animal welfare activists say a lot of affluent families between Bandra and Juhu buy such expensive dogs, but abandon them when they cannot afford their upkeep or the pet becomes a problem. “I’m sure every pet owner hopes his dog gets adopted by the Bachchans, but it is we who end up rescuing them, treating them if they are unwell or injured, and eventually putting them up for adoption,” Soparkar said.