Pashu's Story- Help Care For Vulnerable Dogs In Kathmandu

Pashu, is a beautiful, smallish, tan and white dog, who is friendly and loves affection. However, not log ago, Pashu was in a terrible state. Lost and frightened, she was rejected by all because of her ugly festering and sore-covered face, legs and chest. You see, Pashu had an agressive, crusty fungal infection covering her entire face, as well as weeping, bleeding sores on her raw, hairless legs and chest from demodectic mange. It is probable that Pashu's owners abandoned her because of these infections. And as a small dog, she was not able to stand up for herself on the streets, so she kept moving further and further from her home, just trying to survive.

Kate Clendon was lead to Pashu by local people during a routine community vaccination program near Pashupatinath (the Lord of Animals Temple) in Kathmandu. Pashu was found whimpering, weak, debilitated, hungry and frightened. Nobody in the area knew the dog. She was filthy and looked as though she had been "on the road" for some time. Kate immediately took Pashu to her trusted vet. Then, Kate took Pashu home to Payutar, from where she runs a small organisation called Community Dog Welfare Kopan.

Pashu was given a place in Kate's centre for rescued and vulnerable dogs. She was treated by Kate with daily oral and topical medication, and once the sores from the infections had started to heal, her raw skin was massaged with ayurvedic oil. Within five weeks, Pashu's infections and sores had healed, and her beautiful fur had started to grow back fully. Pashu has now started her vaccinations and has been spayed.

Pashu is one of very many dogs that have been cared for by Kate and her team over the past 15 years, including some dogs abandoned after last year's 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which devasted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Nepalese people. Although Kate makes every attempt to relocate rehabilitated dogs to the community in which they were found, or to re-home dogs with caring families, sometimes this is not possible.

Nepal is a very poor country, made poorer by the devastating earthquake that rocked Kathmandu and surrounding districts in April 2015. The blockade of the border with India for 6 months from August 2015, caused further hardship for the people of Nepal. And although local people try their best to care for their own dogs, as well as homeless dogs living in their community, this is becoming increasingly difficult for many. Therefore, local people call on Community Dog Welfare and similar organizations when they find sick or injured dogs, or there is no one able to care for abandoned dogs.

Pashu is currently just one of forty-eight dogs, most of whom are healthy and well, residing in the Community Dog Welfare Kopan shelter that Kate runs from her home in Payutar, Kathmandu. All of these dogs have been abandoned near the centre, or were sick or injured dogs rescued from the streets and rehabiliated at the centre. The dogs currently in Kate's care are those that could not be re-homed or relocated.

Twenty of the dogs in Kate's care already have sponsors, who pay for their ongoing care (food, routine vaccinations and deworming). The remaining twenty-eight dogs need sponsors to cover the costs of their routine, ongoing care. To meet these 28 lovable dogs, who need your help, please view the sponsorship presentation - video or pdf - on our website at http://www.communitydogwelfarekopan.org/how-you-can-help/ .

Kate also runs community education programs in order to foster community awareness and responsibility for dog welfare, as well as outreach programs for spaying and vaccinating owned and community dogs.

Contact Doug Clendon for more information - doug.clendon@gmail.com.

More info: youtu.be