It’s not a prerequisite for you to be an animal lover to be kind to animals. It just means that you’re not overtly affectionate. It’s okay for you to not feel connected with them but it shouldn’t be an excuse to turn a blind eye. So go ahead and shower a little kindness on these little ones!
It’s also super nice to read a little about how our actions are harming them indirectly — a lot of them end up eating plastics from trash, a lot of testing is done on animals before it’s made available for us, a lot of our products are made with animal skin and other parts, unethical animal husbandry, the meat industry and what not. There’s so much out there that we don’t know of, and that’s okay — take baby steps. Read, understand, take action, share.
Here are 9 simple things that you can do —
1. Keep food and water outside your home for strays
A lot of strays do not have continuous access to food and water and hence they look out for food in trash cans and end up choking on plastic and other harmful waste. If you have a lot of strays around your house, you can simply put out food & water in an earthen pot and keep it for them. Also, if you are comfortable enough, you can directly feed them when you see one.
Just keep in mind that there are certain things you should avoid feeding to animals since it can harmful for them. This list is not exhaustive but here are a few things to avoid —
- Anything sweet — chocolates, candies, baked sweet goods, etc.
- Coffee, tea and other caffeine
- Grapes & raisins
- Milk & other dairy products
- Anything spicy or fried
- Food with smaller bones that they can choke upon
2. Call rescue services if you see any injured animal
It’s not always possible to help an injured animal directly — sometimes you don’t know what to do or you might be a little hesitant and that’s alright. What you can do instead is call up an NGO or a rescue service that works with stray animals like dogs and cats. You can find them easily with a simple good search. If possible, try to stay around till the time the rescue services reach the location so that it’s easier for them to locate the animal.
3. Support cruelty free brands
A lot of major brands test their products on animals to make them usable for humans especially in the beauty & cosmetics domain. They also use a lot of animal parts to make products which we almost don’t even need (remember — reduce, reuse & recycle?). It’s super unethical and downright murder. What you can do is to read more about it and look for brands that are cruelty free instead. We are super sure that it’s not very difficult to find alternatives which will give you the same result.
4. Volunteer/donate to NGOs working for animals
If you love being around animals, you can simply volunteer to work with one whenever you have some free time. If you don’t have time or are not very comfortable around them but still want to help then you can donate to NGOs working for animals. This can help them in many ways — to provide for food, water & shelter, help in medical assistance, etc. Go ahead, pick an NGO near you and help these furry beings from home.
5. Adopt strays instead of buying special breeds
Well, just like how every human life matters and how everyone is special, every animal too is unique in it’s own way. Adopt a dog instead of buying one a special or exotic breed — a lot of these exotic breeds are not even suitable for every climate and you are actually making things worse for them.
There’s also a lot of misunderstanding related to possible health risks with adopting strays. There are a lot of NGOs who rescue strays and get them vaccinated and all healthy before you adopt one. So you don’t have to worry about anything at all!
6. Do not hit animals or disturb them when they are relaxing
Not all animals have a permanent resting space and looks for options all day long. If you see any animal relaxing around your house, do not disturb them or make them run away. If you have kids in your house, it’s important to teach them to do the same.
7. Report animal cruelty around you
There are a lot of evidence of cruelty towards animals doing rounds on the internet. While some are captured by cctv cameras or strangers trying to help, some are even recorded by the attackers with pride. There was also a recent incidence of a youtuber who tied his dog to helium balloons and posted the video on the internet. It’s super important to not support this kind of behavior. Instead, report if you know of any such cases.
8. Create shelters where they can rest in shade
With increased urbanization and less green areas around, it can be difficult for animals to find places with shade to rest especially during hot summer months. If possible, create small shelters for them to rest around your house or in your community space. You can even convince your neighbors to come together and create one if you think you cannot do it alone.
9. Do not burst crackers or throw colors at them
We sometimes forget that the ways in which we celebrate some of our festivals can be harmful for other beings around. The fumes from crackers can be much more toxic for animals than humans, can injure them, and cause fear & anxiety amongst them. Similarly, the colors can be poisonous for these furry creatures as well.
Animals are equally important parts of life on earth as any other being if not more. It’s important that we extend them the same kindness as we would to another human being. We would like to sum up the above points with this cute illustration. Save it, share it and spread some love! You can also follow us on Instagram for more.
Also: Please remember not to call bad people dogs. It’s offensive. To dogs.
