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Indians dogged by lockdown loneliness adopt puppies and stray mongrels as they turn to animal companions
- India has been under lockdown for months and when restrictions partially eased, there was a rush to adopt puppies to ease anxiety
- Shelter owners say younger people are more willing to adopt street dogs, and demand for training has risen
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When Lakshmi Sundar brought a malnourished stray puppy into her home in the Indian city of Chennai, she thought the brown-and-white bundle of energy would be a guest for just a few weeks.
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Her household is one of a growing number across India to have adopted a dog to cope with the loneliness inflicted by the pandemic.
“We bonded so well from day one, which is very rare … I don’t bond that easily with anyone,” Sundar, a 53-year-old who treats diabetes patients, said of the pup, named Meenakshi after a Hindu warrior goddess. “She’s a bundle of joy,” said Sundar
She says no one in the house wanted to give Meenakshi to another family. “And she has had a very calming effect on my daughter.”
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Dogged by Covid-19 lockdown loneliness, more Indians adopt puppies
Dogged by Covid-19 lockdown loneliness, more Indians adopt puppies
India – which has more than three million coronavirus cases – imposed a months-long lockdown to try and contain the spread. As case numbers grew and more people were stuck at home, early fears about pets being potential carriers turned into a search for love and friendship from the four-legged creatures.
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“When the lockdown was opened partially, people were rushing and coming to take puppies,” Dawn William of the Blue Cross of India animal welfare group in Chennai said. In the first half of August, 68 puppies were adopted from the group’s shelter.
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