Courtney Williams, Post 2

The thing that has been the most difficult for me to adjust to thus far in India isn't the spicy food, new (and often not so great) smells, foreign accents, or even the social customs. It's been the dogs. There are stray dogs everywhere, and they break my heart. I was ready to see people living in poverty, I had expected the huge slums that make up large areas of Mumbai. I had given myself time to prepare for that, I had thought about it, mulled it over, created images in my mind of what it would look like. The corrugated metal roofed shacks that dot any bare area of land large enough don't bother me that much. But last night, after we arrived, we took a bus to the new hostel on the Somiaya Vidyavihar campus, and as I stared at all the new sites out the window, I saw at least 15 dogs, thin, dirty, picking through garbage. I thought of fleas and mange, about how many of them would die from heartworm, and how many surely had tapes (My dad's a vet, I can't help it.)
To see animals, especially dogs (I'll explain that in a moment) living like that, knowing that surely they had never been to a vet, and never known human compainionship in the sense that I'm familiar with, was almost overwhelming.
At home, I've grown up on a farm. I've lived my whole life there. We have had horses, donkeys, sheep, chickens, goats, cats, dogs, rabbits, and quails over the course of my life. Most of the animals, other than the horses, have been rescues. Here's where the thing about the dogs comes in, my mother and I volunteer for Australian Shepherd Rescue (ARPH.) We've taken in over 10 dogs, many of which were abused or neglected, given them medical care, basic training, and human interaction. All but one of the dogs we rehabilitated were then placed in new, loving, forever homes. It's one of my passions, and because of it I want to take every one of those stray's, give them a bath, teach them a few tricks, and find people who will love and care for them.