Background:
CJ Topsy Chetty-Rajagopal passed away on Thursday, the 28th June 2012. A beautiful and beloved child of the house, CJ (short for Calamity Jane) filled her home with massive amounts of unconditional love and joy. Her coming into the Rajagopal family saw a significant shift in how her humans looked at dogs. Not just people’s pets and babies, but also the dogs on the streets and their vul
nerability and helplessness. CJ grew from adorable puppyhood to dignified adulthood but stayed so close inside her Humans’ hearts that they could not imagine a world without her. She turned 13 and officially a teenager in 2011, but then the usual aches and pains of an older dog came up . She was the Family Baby, but in dog years she was a ripe 91. As she grew older, CJ fought her tumors , her liver problems, even her slow and debilitating blindness like a Trojan. She may always have been a baby to her family , but her body had started to betray her. It was clear that she wanted to be with those she loved, but on 28th June after a painful battle with a fatally degenerative liver, this near blind, brave but skeletal little girl , engulfed and held tight in her mother's arms, went on to a happier , pain free world. She broke her family’s heart and the void she left remains unfilled. Her life was not in vain as she had motivated many people including her family to be more concerned about her street siblings outside. There are so many loving CJ’s out there. This Memorial has been set up in her name to help her street siblings and their humans. And to keep alive the memory of this beloved, beloved doggy child who transformed and conquered the family that she adopted in November 1997 . Evolution
CJ’s Humans realized they could do a little more to help. Help not just dogs but their ecosystem of humans as well. Over breeding, accidents, orphaned, dying pups, rabies, attacks - there was much heartbreak and just too much to do. Most similar busy people are hesitant to get involved as the stress on resources especially time is very high. There was a limit to time and resources, but if there were a set of guidelines, and if each could take just a little time out there could be a ripple effect . Community dogs love their neighborhood and territories, and because they were not owned or not pets, it does not take away their right to live. This situation is not a silo, and it is as important, if not more so, to look at this issue from the human perspective. Rapid and uncontrolled city growth, garbage heaps, slums result in a larger population of dogs . However, if not handled properly this could escalate quickly into an unworkable situation with rapid population explosion, human-animal conflict, and other preventable dangers. Prevention is the key. The other critical issue in Community Guardianship is to remember that this initiative is as much about protecting humans as it is about protecting dogs. Media attention has to be strongly collaborative in this space , as its primarily the harsh accidents or tragedies that make headlines get publicized . The good news is that there is a hugely pet centric population in Bangalore and this breed is growing. But if people developed a little bit of ownership in their own community i.e. ensuring along with CUPA or similar NGOs that the dogs in their neighborhood were all sterilized and vaccinated , they would be able keep the humans and the dogs as well, safe. In addition, sharing and informing with other people in the community about the Ambulance number or a close by Govt Vet hospital in case any animal was hurt or injured would help. This concept was simple, with ‘each one, teach one’ and with a community feeling more empowered by a go-to person , and also by a set of contact numbers or NGOs they could reach. Many of the less educated but visible community members like security guards or maids felt helpless even if they wanted to help, because they did not know who to go to , and they may not have had the time or money in their circumstances to respond to a suffering animal. Sometimes, simple stuff like just the information ( telephone numbers, follow up , coordination ) was more than enough. Definition – Community Guardianship
Community Guardianship, with respect to animals, implies the voluntary effort and care by a person or group of persons for the animals in their community or ward. The effort is directed at both the humans ( to educate , sensitize and partner on the animal cause ) as well as towards the care and control of the voiceless animals in the area. Purpose
This Award is to recognize a person or a group of persons who has done most in the field of Community Guardianship. There are several people, whatever their economic station, who have done fantastic work in not only helping animals directly , by recue, adoptions, feeding etc , but also taken responsibility to educate their community . The results are for all to see – smaller pack of sterilized, vaccinated dogs in the area, excellent nighttime security , no litters of pups born into misery and pain, good human-dog relationship, and a sense of community feeling . If there were more animal lovers people to come forward to be local community guardians, know that they did not have to give up too much time for this work , and this was done across Bangalore, there would be a great accelerator for the Corporation and NGOs who work tirelessly on this cause. Being an Informal Community Guardian (CG) would not mean that one functions instead of the local corporation or animal welfare NGO , nor that the onus of any animal related activity rests only on the CG’s shoulders. Flat Owners Association President/Secretaries or Local Corporators must be brought into the loop. Initially there may be some dependence, but slowly and surely the empowered community will be able to function individually and as a group to manage their community dogs. An ideal Community Guardian area is where:
There is dog bite –free history
There are a limited number of peaceable, friendly dogs in the community
Ideally these should all have corporation licenses and collars , to avoid them getting picked up by Dog Catching Vans
All are sterilized /neutered and vaccinated ( the defining V clip on the ear confirms both sterilization and vaccination are done )
There are no biter or ferocious dogs
People at all levels especially security guards and vendors who are on the streets a lot have a clear information and go-to plan on whom to call and how to handle case of sterilization, canine illness or accident. There is limited human/canine conflict and a peaceful co-existence on the streets. The purpose of this award is to:
Highlight this simple and yet critical activity of Community Guardianship
Recognize and reward active and successful Community Guardians
Create a set of role models for this activity
Foster a stronger sense of local independence and control in dealing with the issue of Community Dogs
Sensitize the family including children and elders about looking at this as a community effort
Increase security for communities
Increase community empowerment with a simple set of to-dos, information and awareness
Help establish collaboration with multiple stakeholders including relevant area NGOs, bureaucrats and political leaders
Create a more animal friendly environment in Bangalore
The Award
The CJ Memorial Community Guardian would carry a plaque and citation, in addition to a cash award of Rs 25000 to be used for the purpose of animal welfare. Details of this will be worked out shortly. In addition both the corporate as well as the MP from that area would get a copy of this selection so they are aware of the contributions of the recipient. It is expected that the award will be given away by a Chief Guest in a gathering where the AWB, jury members , and prominent Bangalore animal lovers will be present. Selection
In the years to come, applications would be invited via Social Media like Facebook or Twitter website from people who have stories to share , or Community Guardians to recommend . Photos and details would be excellent. There would be a jury of 3-5 people who will evaluate all the applications and select the most relevant deserving person for the award. Voting on the page would be another informal source of validating the selection. This will evolve as time goes on. Suggestions would be welcome. If Bangalore has a safe, bite-free history, a lakh more empowered and animal -sensitive humans ,a hundred dogs less born to a life of misery, and if dogs get the space and the support that they so richly deserve to live their life in the streets , or in our homes, the purpose of this award would be achieved. One starfish at a time.
