A home for strays injured during Deepavali

 Lionel Praveen from Chennai on how he rescues dogs that had suffered burns during Deepavali

On October 30, amidst all the Deepavali eve revelry in the city, Lionel Praveen received a call from a resident in Avadi who sought help to rescue a stray dog that had suffered burns on one side of his face.

“Apparently someone had tied crackers on the dog,” says the 28-year-old musician who is an active animal rescuer. Praveen first took the dog to the nearest vet for having it treated. Currently, the dog is being treated at a private hospital, after which Praveen will search for a foster home for the pet.Every year during Deepavali, Praveen comes to the rescue of frightened strays who are affected by the fireworks and found wailing in pain. Many of the strays also land up at Praveen’s residence at Bangaru Amman Koil Street in Mylapore where they are taken care of until they find a new home.

“Dogs are particularly affected by fireworks due to their acute and sensitive hearing, making it difficult for them to endure loud noises. Many strays attempt to flee from the noise, only to end up in unfamiliar areas where they may be attacked by other animals,” says Praveen.

When a stray leaves its usual area, he says, it often loses its way home. Some suffer severe wounds fighting with other dogs or from fireworks.

“I have always been drawn to helping strays and started feeding them during my school days. In 2014, I began rescuing animals after noticing many strays injured on the streets,” recalls Praveen. Most of the rescue operations are done by word of mouth, and sometimes he gets calls from Dogs of Madras, a support group for strays.

The restriction on timing of fireworks this year slightly reduced the impact on these animals.

“I also received a case of an abandoned male Labrador, just a few months old, left at the Vepery Animal College. Frightened and abandoned by his owner, he had no foster home to go to, as all the boarding facilities I knew were full. A fellow rescuer stays with him until he finds a loving home,” Praveen explains, urging pet owners not to abandon or abuse their animals.