IndieLove-A ‘Forever’ Home for Furry Angels

Smita Dwivedi
A dog is love forever, whether he is a pedigree or a pariah. They will love with the same compassion. IndieLove, a fully-cage-free foster care for all dogs, especially Indie breeds, has been set up for the welfare of dogs in need. No fancy promises, only unconditional warmth and care. Here’s unfurling a special tale of pooch affair in conversation with Sunil Kaushik, founder, IndieLove. –by Smita Dwivedi

Tuada kutta Tommy, te sada kutta Hilfiger”, Sunil started the conversation with a trending thought to bring smiles to our readers. He then shared the story of inception…“Many a time stray animals lose a chance on life simply because it’s expensive to foster them until they find a forever home. And for a matter of fact, we know how we are breed obsessed, which further reduces the chances of a “STRAY” finding a home. Though they say, we as a nation are going Vocal about Local but I honestly feel the journey in case of Indian breed of animals is a pretty long one.”

Creating a better world!
Being an animal lover since childhood, Sunil always wanted to give the pooches a better world, thus opened doors of his home and heart to them. “There was a time; I was going bonkers looking for an affordable, good, and home-like accommodation for 16 of my rescued Indian dogs. I was taken aback by the charges but did I have an option? Could I leave them back on the streets? NO. It was my moment of enlightenment. For a minute, I was in the shoes of all the fellow rescuers, volunteers who would have faced a similar dilemma. And that is it – IndieLove – a home for rescued Indian dogs in the heart of the Millennium City Gurugram started,” he shared.

“Soon I shifted to a bigger place and that meant more space for the kids. At present, we are home to about 160 rescued dogs – dejected, abused, beaten. Trust me, each one of them has a different story to tell, and we at Indielove are all ears to them. They are loved, they are pampered, and they are respected at the bare minimum cost,” he added further.

We like to pawrty!
At IndieLove, with a minimal cost of Rs 100-150 per day, a dog can get a better life. They provide all the required care, which includes basic medication, training, vet visits (if needed), winter clothing along with food and stay. “If need of special food, bedding, care, we never charge extra. And one thing I’m really proud of and boast about is the cage-free environment. Nobody wants to be caged and after the lockdown we can definitely agree to it, right? There’s ample space for them to roam around, be themselves, and play,” he added with pride.

“Presently we have around 160 dogs who are being taken care of. Apart from my 15+ rescues, I have adopted 16 dogs – 15 Indian and one 4 years old abandoned Labrador. It’s a pawrty every day at IndieLove,” he shared with a smile.

#SpreadLoveNotVirus
The year 2020 was indeed a tough year not only for humans but for animals too. So, being closely associated with so many animals, how was the experience. To which he replied, “The pandemic was a shock to the entire system. It affected almost everything and of course the animal welfare too. Animals once again were made a scapegoat in the name of the virus. People were abandoning their pedigree breeds, and it was more torturous for the ones on the streets – the misconception of animals (especially dogs) spreading the virus had a much greater transmission rate than the actual Coronavirus. To combat this situation and to make people aware that this wasn’t true and animals were completely corona-safe, we did an influencer campaign called #SpreadLoveNotVirus.”

“I was able to stock food and other necessary items for the IndieLove dogs. Apart from this, the team at IndieLove was preparing food for almost 200 stray dogs and 100 stray cows. Yes, every single day; tirelessly we worked for the welfare of animals. To be honest, there was too much ambiguity about the whole Corona situation and the lockdown but we sailed through. We were ashore soon and everything started falling in place,” he revealed.

Helping hands
IndieLove is blessed with a lot of angel-like organisations and individuals and Sunil feels it’s good to get support from all around, “I want to mention the names of few organisations that have been helping us with their unconditional love and support. Some of them are Delhi Street Dog Foundation, Paws for a Cause, The Great Indian Dogmaa, and SJ’s Pet Care Clinic. These organisations have been helping us live and fulfill our purpose each day,” he shared.

Future vision
“I have a simple message for all the readers – Do away with the breed biasness. Stop promoting illegal breeding and adopt a Desi.”On a concluding note, Sunil shared, “I’m not just a dog lover. I love the whole world of animals. One day I wish to make IndieLove a multi-animal foster and boarding home. The other two things on my list are – an in-house medical treatment facility and an ambulance.”