Bengaluru: Rakesh Shukla, 45, a software engineer who founded a software company along with his wife, spends three to four days every week on the farm.
He takes care of his canines. He is known as the ‘Dog Father’.
He takes care of abandoned and sick dogs. Some of the dogs are
three-legged as well. The 3.5-acre farmhouse is located in Bengaluru
and it is a home for 735 dogs.
ALSO READ:Â Cyrus Mistry resigns from all Tata Group Companies
There are Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, Beagles,
Dachshunds, Rottweilers, Saint Bernards, Mongrels and a pug. Most of
the dogs are strays, the others have been abandoned by their owners.
In June 2009, Rakesh Shukla fell in love with a 45-day-old Golden
Retriever that he named, Kavya. Mr Shukla’s second dog, Lucky, came to
him three months later when he rescued her from the streets. Lucky had
been stuck in the rain for 12-13 days and she was wet and shivering,
and that’s when he decided to bring him home.
Whenever he met a stray or abandoned dog, he brought it home. At
first, he kept them at his home but when his wife protested, he
shifted some of them to the office, where the top floor was turned
into a home for dogs.
In 2012, as the number of dogs increased, Rakesh Shukla bought land in a
village district of Doddballapur and created a shelter for dogs that
are old, unwell or unwelcomed.
There are lots of open spaces for them to run around and ponds to swim
in, and there’s double fencing to keep the dogs safe.
There are 10 employees, including trained veterinary assistants, to
look after the dogs, cook for them and feed them. The dogs are fed
200kg of chicken and rice daily and many of the sick ones need regular
medicines and attention.
There have been demands to shut the farm and complaints against a lot
of ruckus but Rakesh Shukla has refused to give in. He loves his dogs
and he does all that he can to keep them safe, secured and loved.
ALSO READ:Â Jolly LLB Trailer is out and it will leave you thoughtful