Sajesh S, an animal lover and a branding consultant by profession, left his lucrative job in 2017 to start ALAI, Animal Lives are Important, a dog rescue and rehabilitation shelter in Bengaluru.
It all started when Sajesh first got an ambulance in 2017 to care for stray dogs and help them receive proper treatment in a shelter. One of the first dogs he took under his wing was an acid attack victim. But when he took the dog to the shelter, he could not get it admitted there and realised that. a lot of shelters in town were overwhelmed and could not provide the care the animals needed.
“Over a period of time, we realised that the atrocities that are happening towards the animals are probably too big for me, or for shelter in the city to handle,” Sajesh tells SocialStory.
Today, ALAI cares for over 300 strays in and around Bagalur, Bengaluru. They take care of any possible distress relief an animal would need-- right from accidents, injuries, torture, abuse to neutering and spraying them. They even provide animals with the 9-in-1 vaccine which covers nine different diseases, along with the rabies vaccine.
The team of ALAI has about 18 volunteers and operated through WhatsApp and Facebook groups where they get in touch with people who have found strays in distress. The animals are then taken to a veterinarian for treatment and check-up.
He runs ALAI with his wife, Skyla, who has been on this journey with him since the start.
"We feed these dogs about two times a day, who are then examined daily and are nurtured to their full health," says Sajesh.
Talking about how their work is different and what they plan to do moving forward, Sajesh said, "We need to start focusing on these areas that are not covered by animal welfare organisations in Bengaluru. In addition, we have also started picking up dogs from the villages, and neuter and vaccinate them before letting them back into the villages."
(With inputs from YourStory).
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