Kolkata Diaries - Day 3 (Guest Blog)

Its Day 3 from our volunteer, Steve Denyer, one of our stars on our Animal People Alliance India Trip. Read more:

Today we got down to business. Ahead of Belinda’s visit we visited an animal sanctuary 100 miles outside Kolkata.

I learnt that people here generally view dogs as pests so they are not treated well (acid thrown at them - bones broken - being abandoned)

This centre is doing a great job. Our team of experts said it was the best they had ever seen in Kolkata. That did make me wonder how bad the worst ones must be.

Massive respect to the Sharda - the Founder. She looks after 550 dogs and has 150 different dog bites on her body!

Some of things I saw will haunt me and stay with me forever. Even those some of these dogs have experience abuse beyond imagining they were so happy to see us. The sadness in their eyes still shone through.

I made friends with Tutu who started following me around the sanctuary and wouldn’t leave me alone. He was my guide.

Tutu was immaculately turned out...Positively stylish. He also refuses to eat any food unless it’s been marinated and the correct spices have been added.

He is basically the “ Mariah” of the doggie kingdom!!