Paralysed, stray dog finds home in Canada

Aman Sood

Patiala, October 31

It isn’t always a dog’s life, even for mutts. Hit by a bike, a female stray dog was left paralysed in her rear limbs in 2019 on Rajpura roads.

The dog was officially adopted by a Canada-based couple on Sunday, almost two months after being shifted to Canada by the Compassion for Animal Welfare Association (CAWA). The canine, Kirpa, is a fighter and has come back from the brink of death and complete paralysis.

Kirpa was in lot of pain, could not move

Kirpa was the first dog that we took into our shelter in Rajpura. Our volunteers found her in a terrible shape. She was in a lot of pain and could not move. Now two years later, she can move with artificial support. Prapti Bajaj, Campaign Manager, CAWA

Kirpa had come to CAWA in 2019 as a two month-old baby with severe injury in her rear limbs that left her paralysed.

On Sunday, a Toronto-based couple (who doesn’t want to be named) adopted Kirpa, who will now enjoy the company of three more adopted dogs in her new home.

“She became the first dog that we took into our shelter in Rajpura, where we were carrying out a sterilisation project. Our volunteers found Kirpa in a terrible shape. She was in a lot of pain and could not move. After almost three months of treatment and exercise, she got back some sensation in the rear part of her body. Now two years later, she can move with artificial support,” said Prapti Bajaj, CAWA campaign manager.

In June 2022, the Canadian Government, in an effort to reduce the risk of rabies in dog, announced that it will ban the import of commercial dogs from 100 countries, including India, Egypt, the Philippines, China, Ukraine & Afghanistan from September 28.

“We had rushed against time to arrange for funds to shift Kirpa to Canada before the deadline,” recalls Prapti.

CAWA adoption coordinator Navjot Gurm, based in Toronto, started looking for adoption NGOs and got in touch with Angela, who worked for Second Chance Animal Sanctuary in Toronto.

“Angela agreed to take Kirpa in. We were then faced with the challenge of arranging Rs 2.20 lakh for her travel and medication till she reached Toronto. We raised Rs 1.80 lakh and pooled the remaining amount from our own resources. Two months ago, Kirpa landed in Canada, just ahead of the Canadian ban on dogs from abroad,” Navjot and Prapti said.

“We would constantly worry about Kirpa’s future and her adoption. On Sunday, we received the good news that a Toronto-based couple finally welcomed Kirpa into their family,” Prapti said.

“We should promote adoption. Rather than calling them ‘awaara’, we should call them ‘special need dogs’, as they are known abroad,” CAWA founder Rahul Bansal said.