Many stray pups find new homes at ‘Paws for a cause’

Eighty pups were available for adoption at the special drive

It was a dream-come-true experience for 10-year-old J. Mithilasri from Red Hills. She took home two pups, which she had been longing for, on Saturday evening. Several other stray pups and kittens found new homes at the ‘Paws for a cause’, a free pet adoption drive for shelter dogs, organised at the VR Chennai in the city.

Hosted by Amazon Prime Video’s Oh My Dog, which will premiere on April 21, the event aimed to create awareness about the need for shelter for stray animals and was powered by The Hindu.

“My daughter has been asking for a pet dog for three years. I chanced upon the event through social media. We are glad to take home two pups,” said U. Jagannathan from Red Hills.

Many people who had fostered Indian pups found suitable new homes for their cuddly ones. Thejas and her mother had come all the way from Guduvanchery to give away two such pups they found on the streets. “We already are feeding several dogs in our area. So, we had to give away these pups,” said Ms. Thejas.

Radha Ramamurthy, senior manager (Launch Marketing), Amazon Prime Video, said the pet adoption drive event was launched in four cities of Coimbatore, Madurai, Chennai and Bengaluru. “The film is centered around the bond between a kid and his dog. We are hosting events to create awareness about animals in need of foster care. We hope that about 500 stray animals will be adopted in all the cities,” she said.

The drive was taken up along with BMAD (Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary), a non-governmental organisation. About 80 pups and kittens were up for adoption along with starter kits. Actor Arun Vijay and his son Arnav Vijay, who is debuting in the movie, gave away puppies that were being adopted. “This is a lovely cause and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. We have not had such films like Oh My Dog here for a long time,” he said.

Director Sarov Shanmugam, who has helmed the movie, said: “I wanted to do a movie for kids. There’s a reason for using Siberian Husky as a pet dog in the movie. The event will help create more awareness about the cause.”