Written by Natalie Levy
Finding Rocky
In early 2016 I visited India for the first time to meet up with some friends. It was a last-minute vacation to get over an ex (you know that story!).
My trip started in Varkala. I loved the place, there is something about it that’s difficult to explain and perhaps you only realise it when returning to the western world, but whatever it is, it is something spiritual and soul-enhancing.
While having lunch one day by the beach, my friend and I noticed a dog crawl out from under the bridge in front of the restaurant dragging its body. He looked emaciated, skin and bone, ribs protruding, not an ounce of fat. We asked the restaurant for a bowl and some food (not realising at the time, the lack of compassion some of the local people have for dogs). The restaurant refused to give food or a bowl, but we managed to get some tin foil from them and bought some cakes from the kiosk next door. We gave him food and water in bowls made out of foil. He was petrified of us and would only approach the food when we were out of range to get to him when he would wolf it down with a smile on his face.
Needing to get help to this poor soul, I searched online for a local rescue centre and came across Operation street dog Varkala. I contacted Maureen at the charity and she asked that I give him rice and chicken three times daily, which I did for the next few days. I called the dog Rocky because he was a fighter. I looked into bringing him over to Australia and in the meantime we had a vet sent out to him.
The vet assessed Rocky and informed us that his back was broken. He had been hit by a car and pain relief was the only thing they could do for him. The kindest thing we could do for him was to put him to rest, which we did. Rocky remains my spirit dog ??
Having seen what wonderful work the charity does with these dogs, I wanted to help more. I’m a ceramic artist and was thinking about my next project. I decided to design a series of ceramic dog bowls based on Rocky and some of the other street dogs I had met along the way. After a few months of designing and testing clays and glazes, the dog bowls were ready to launch. I have since done a few markets with all proceeds going to the charity. It is a pleasure to help such a wonderful cause.
Volunteering for the charity
This January I returned to Varkala wanting to help out with the dogs for the charity. On my first day I arranged to meet up with Vera, the charity’s most dedicated volunteer. Vera is an Italian lady, 75 years old and is a wonderful soul. She goes to Varkala for 4-5 months every year to help the dogs. Each day she walks around giving the dogs food and medicine, along the beach, and up and down the hilly backstreets. She orders food and medication and keeps this in her room (along with the occasional dog in recovery ). She also organises sterilisation for the dogs (which in India is not typically easy!).
Vera and I arranged to meet each day at lunch and in the evenings to walk around, feed the dogs (Pedigree) and give them medication (for tics, flees, skin disease). There were about 30 dogs that we fed, including a mother and her three 3-month old puppies. She had just had another litter of puppies and needed food for herself so she could produce milk for the new litter.
I stayed on the north of the cliff and Vera stays on the south of the cliff. So each day I would enjoy a lovely walk along the cliff and back. Around helping with the dogs, I enjoyed yoga, some sight seeing and some yummy local food!
I always carried a few packets of Tiger biscuits (sweet biscuits like Rich Tea) in case I saw any other hungry dogs along the way. The key to feeding the dogs I found, was to feed them individually and quickly before many other hungry dogs arrived to compete for food (there are many starving dogs her and it’s important that the less dominant ones get fed also).
On one of the days, we were due to have the dog catchers come and take three dogs to one of the vets in the area to be sterilised. The vet was busy (with a cow!) and couldn’t make it, but the dog catchers turned up anyway trying to charge twice the amount and for a different vet! Organising anything in India is difficult, with around 150 dialects and languages spoken and many people trying to a quick buck however possible! And the standard of veterinary is far less advanced than in western countries… think plain-clothed vets, with dogs on newspaper on the floor (rather than white coats and stethoscopes).
I realised during my time here that feeding and treating these dogs is important but the most important thing is sterilisation. It is better to keep the number of dogs in the area that having hundreds of starving dogs desperate for food. All dogs that are sterilised have a notch cut out of one of their ears.
I would urge anybody interested in helping, or already in the area, to volunteer as a helper or donate to the charity. My experience of volunteering was hugely rewarding and I will certainly be back to help again.
