Hi Pandora, I run an animal charity here in the uk (http://www.hwanimalrescue.org ) little plug Fiona, please remove if not appropriate.
I have visited Goa for the last 15 years and animal welfare has come on in leaps and bounds there. There are, of course, still stray dogs wandering but in the main the dogs you see do belong to people, they are cared for. Many are neutered, look for the nick in their ears, and most are sporting posh collars. A lot of the shacks have their resident dogs - you will usually find one shading themselves under the sunbeds.
The animal rescue in Goa is fantastic and puts many in the UK to shame. Their facilities are great,
well worth spending a day there, they always need dog walkers. They care for all sorts of animals, dogs, cats, cows, snakes etc.etc.
Go to Goa, have a fantastic holiday

There are animal welfare organisations in Goa. In the north International animal rescue and in the south Goa animal welfare trust. Each one will sterilise females and sometimes males, collect and re-home puppies and treat sick or injured animals. GAWT has anti rabies camps at the weekends to inject local dogs and they take pups for adoption. Unfortunately the local population do not feel as we do about their pets and will dump pups and sometimes adult dogs that they no longer require or will not treat for medical conditions!

We have 3 dogs in Goa. Two have been damaged by humans but are so loving. The third bit someone as he was threatened so was put in the shelter for a while when we decided to take him home and he is a lovely dog. They give us so much pleasure and some of the locals see us and ask us why and how we do it. Some are taking on feeding the strays during the monsoon when the tourists have gone home and the shelter visit various beaches and also feed at that time.

This is a bit long winded. Do not be surprised to get some anti dog/cat replies as has happened in the past.

There is also a charity just outside Vasco which we help called People for animals and they do a fantastic job.We bought our own dog with us from the Uk and have also adopted a local dog,besides that we also feed another stray that comes to our gate everyday,has something to eat then disapppears.

John

Your replies have been encouraging, if you did want to visit the shelters are they near the main holiday areas? How could I adopt a local dog? I mean a monthly subscription.

Pan

Pan, you might want to look at this site http://www.gawt.org. I didn't visit when I was in South Goa in December but you can make arrangements to go. I found out about them after becaming a regular at their Charity shop in Colva. I bought lots of doggy stuff from them (they have new stuff as well) which I've used back home when dog grooming. They also had a great range of books for around 40rps each - bargain. Just one other point re dogs in Goa though. Be very careful with them, especially at night. There can be alot about and they can be aggressive so don't approach them.
HTH
Sharon

You can also visit International Animal Rescue's base and clinic, at Assagao, near Mapusa, as detailed on the leaflet on their website. They are doing really good work, and neutered a female dog who'd recently had puppies on the beach where I was staying. There leaflet has lots of info about the work they do, and the impact it has.

http://www.iar.org.uk/india/goa.shtml

Hi, just joined the site while i am sitting in an internet shop on paolem beach in beautiful Goa. I leave tomorrow, and have a real problem...I have adopted (or should i say i have been adopted!) by a beautiful dog who i have named Tallulah. I want to make sure she is alright when i leave and that someone will take care of her, but i know if i leave money here for her welfare, it will be spent elswhere! She is spade because she has a nick in her ear, but no collar...does this mean no one owns her?She is only a year old at most, and if i thought it were an option i would pay to take her home..does anyone know the proceedure for this, and approximate cost? and would it be cruel to remove her from a sunny beach to the chill and misery of quarentine? I just dont know.I do know that the tears have started already, and tomorrow is going to be horrible.Can someone advise me please?? I have fed so many dogs since arriving 4 weeks ago, and have bought huge bags of dried food to leave for a mum and her pups who live beside little italy italian restaurant(baskin robbins)on the main street.(please feed her if you come before the monsoons in may,she is black and white, has mange, so no fur, and her pups are 2 little girls, one white and one tan. She wont let you approach her but just put something down for her and she will go back for it.)
Tallulah will survive, that i am sure, she is so friendly and affectionate that most people will fall for her..but i would still like to know if i could better her little life in some way? please advise.
Thanks, jilli x

I think in your heart of hearts you know the answer With the best will in the world you leave tomorrow and don't have enough time to sort things. You aren't even sure if the dog has an owner. Have a look at the links members have given to two animal welfare charities, earlier back in this thread. I'm sure they would welcome any donation. I like the fact that they try to feed the dogs outwith the tourist season. It is actually possible to adopt a dog as one of our members has done this but I wouldn't imagine that it was easy.
Welcome to HT by the way!

you might find this thread interesting.

I find the total lack of compassion for animals displayed by many Indians most annoying.
While they don't actually do anything to harm animals, they will totally ignore the fact that an animal may be needing medical attention.

Twice I've had to phone International Animal Rescue for help - once for a cow with it's foot stuck in a rusting tin can - and once for a dog with a huge festering sore on it's back. When I asked the locals, who I know quite well - they said "Oh it's been like that for months!"
I did of course make a donation to the charity.

I know what you mean Max but hopefully things will get better with the likes of International Animal Welfare working out there raising awareness to the plight of these poor creatures.
Regarding Tallulah, you have really left it too late to arrange any practical help for her, all I can suggest is you ask another holidaymaker who is there for the next couple of weeks or so to try and sort out getting her into the local animal shelter. People do come along and adopt the dogs from there. The situation is improving in Goa without a doubt, you don't see the number of packs of dogs you did a few years ago, you rarely see a starving dog scavenging around a restaurant - dogs are there but more or less well fed. I'm not saying there aren't starving dogs - there are, just as there are starving kiddies there.
Best thing to do is to make a donation to one of the local animal charities there enabling them to carry on their work.
Believe it or not we have a similar plight in UK so many dogs on the streets with no home. 10,000 put to sleep last year because they had nowhere to go. Adopt a needy dog at home, and sponsor a Goan dog - its all you can do really

There was a dead dog by the side of the Candolim road for 36 hours the other week - it had been hit by a car. Life is pretty cheap in India and I don't think many Indian people have the same sensibilities as we have with regard to animals. I'm sure they think we're a bit cranky.

I hate seeing the live chickens on Mapusa market. You pick them (actually I don't!) and they are butchered Halal style up the stairs while you wait. Very primitive to westerner's eyes.

Hi, Jilli here,

Have been back from Goa for about a month now. Adopted 4 dogs while i was out there, and have left enough dog food with a friend who lives there to feed them through the rainy season, and i am also sending funds so that they are fed in the future. The problem is that the man who is doing this for me has contacted me to say that one of the street dogs(mother of 2 pups) and in a seriously poor condition is now hairless and is scratching herself so badly that she is constantly bleeding. He cant get near her as she is petrified of people, so is unable to administer any treatment. Does anyone have the phone number of an animal shelter that will go and help her? The dog is in the Paolem beach area of goa. Someone told me while i was there that there is an organization that you can call and they go and help if the dog is in serious distress, which apparently she is.
I feel so powerless to help now that i am back in england,but if i could phone them, i feel sure the might help her. I just need the number, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know.I know this just seems like a drop in the ocean given the terrible plight of dogs in India, but i am doing my best to help some of them, i only wish it could be more.
Thanks guys,

Jilli x

Jilli,

The following link is for a charity that operates in the South.

http://www.gawt.org/

GFF xx