Mumbai: Harsimran Walia, dedicated animal advocate, has been tirelessly serving animals for many years. Her commitment is so strong that she went to the extent of selling her own house. From an early age, she had a fondness for animals. She would feed the street dogs and make sure of their wellbeing. As she grew older, she made the decision to dedicate all her time to improving the lives of these animals. Harsimran shares that when she was in grade 2, while feeding the dogs, she realized that they too crave for love just like humans and need attention.

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Braving through the challenges

Every noble work faces resistance in the beginning. Harsimran had to face the hostility from other people. They would attack her vans or obstruct her from providing food to the street dogs in the area. People were so insensitive that they used to place bodies of dead animals outside Harsimran’s house to accuse her of making a ruckus in their locality.

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Despite such challenges, she did not lose her spirits and continued with her work. Every night at 11 pm, she goes out to feed the dogs. Currently, she uses a scooter and carries 50-60 kilograms of dog food on the vehicle. Even on the day when Harsimran’s grandparents died, she took out time and headed out to feed the dogs.

Selling the house

When the population of dogs started increasing, Harsimran could not get the authorised permission to bring them in her society. With the support of her family, she sold her house and bought another one away from the city.

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Harsimran shares that not everyone appreciates taking care of these mute animals. They are unnecessarily bothered by the number of dogs that Harsimran willingly takes care of. To put an end to this incessant prattle, she opened her own animal shelter home. In the year 2019, Harsimran got her animal shelter home registered as ‘Aman Rehabilitation Foundation’.

Dog vaccination and sterilization

Harsimran shares that she currently lives in a society where there is a shortage of power and water. They have to buy cans of drinking water on a regular basis. The area is underdeveloped, and piles of garbage can be seen in any corner of the street. But Harsimran does not get disheartened with her present living conditions. She feels responsible for carrying out her duties. At present, her animal shelter is home for 120 dogs. She sterilizes the dogs, vaccinates them and relocates them to their original areas. Dogs that are blind and paralyzed stay in the shelter home.

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Bearing the expenses

Harsimran and her family take care of the costs associated with feeding and treating the dogs themselves. They also seek assistance through fundraising appeals. Regardless of the funds received from the public, the vets at her shelter home are patient with their fees because they trust Harsimran. Things are progressing slowly but with everyone’s support, she does not get discouraged.

Dog bites

Harsimran faced a challenge when she was bitten on the face by a dog during her board exams in school. It took her three months to recover. Despite the difficulty, she continued to write her exams wearing a mask. It was her mother who initially suggested that she must stop with this work. However, Harsimran believes that barking is a dog’s way to communicate. We just need interpret if they feel comfortable in our presence or not.

She persisted in her efforts, despite facing adversity from society, family and others. Today, she remains resolute in her commitment to serving the voiceless, regardless of others’ opinions.

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