Prem Chaaya: Love-nest for Animals and Birds

Prem Chaaya: Love-nest for Animals and Birds
Prem Chaaya, meaning shelter of love, formally came into being when it was registered as a trust in August 2002. But, its roots go further back. It was triggered off by an accident in which the daughter of Clifford D’Souza, founder trustee of Prem Chaaya, was involved. One rainy day, in 2000, at dusk, a puppy dog came under the wheel of the car driven by Clifford’s daughter Preethi, at Kankanady in Mangalore city. She brought the injured dog home. Operated on and named Chippie, this female became part of the family since then. From then on there was no looking back.
To start with, Prem Chaaya functioned from Clifford’s house compound at Bolar, Mangalore, which had been converted into a kennel for dogs. About half of his housing plot was devoted for the animals. Before moving to Bajpe there were about 40 dogs. The shifting of the operations from Bolar to Bajpe meant a dramatic change of scene for the animals. The campus at Kolambe has been designed by noted architect, Neville D’Souza, after studying advanced shelters elsewhere. There is a full time vet at the new campus who also attends at a clinic for animals run by Prem Chaaya at Urva, Mangalore city. In addition to an ambulance, there is a van which is also used as pick-up for animals. Besides the capital cost so far of over Rs.60 lakhs for infrastructure at Prem Chaaya campus, the budget for food, medicines, operations and transport at Kolambe works out to over Rs.60,000 per month.
Currently, there are about 75 dogs of various ages, sizes and breeds. They mainly fall into two classes - young pups to be given in adoption and those past their prime, sick and suffering. In the latter case, there is a one-time fee of Rs.2, 500 to be paid at the time of surrender. Once surrendered to Prem Chaaya, the owners have no visiting rights. Clifford explains that however badly treated, dogs have loyalty and attachments to their masters. They cry and whine at the reunion and it takes many days to bring them back to normal from their trauma and depression. However, Clifford recalls making one exception. “A young married couple was very attached to their pet dog. They had no issue for a few years. The mother-in-law taunted and mocked the daughter-in-law about the dog and said it was a curse on her and the reason why she had issues. The couple had to surrender the dog to Prem Chaaya with a heavy heart. I allowed them to visit their pet and they would take it for a long car drive before bidding it goodbye with tears.”
Besides dogs, cats, birds, wild animals also come under the radar of Prem Chaaya. Clifford’s tryst with animals and birds goes beyond statistics. It is the personal involvement and time invested that comes back in terms of emotional satisfaction. He gushes about the unconditional love that dogs give and how he cannot think of disengaging from his involvement. He recounts touching stories of how people come to him with their pets under trying compulsions. One lady from Udupi had to join her husband in Australia. She came with her pet cats named Vishnu and Minakshi. She lingered on, petting and kissing the cats, with uncontrolled tears, and pleading with Vishnu to take care of Minakshi. Clifford says that too much attachment results in depression and detachment. The cats went into depression and refused to eat. Minakshi died after 35 days whereupon Vishnu went on a total hunger strike and followed his sister within days.
At Prem Chaaya, every canine and feline has a name, ID number and photo record of their state at arrival and progress through residence. Some photo captions make interesting reading. “Monty, a male dog, was found near the market in the city and was brought to the shelter by one of the trustees. Monty is severely deformed and cannot use his legs. He walks on his fore legs and drags his hind legs behind. But, he is full of spunk and energy and is as lively a dog as the healthy ones."
It is heart-warming to note that a group of ten girl students of National Institute of Engineering and Technology, Suratkal, regularly visit Prem Chaaya to spend time with the dogs. Landing at 10 AM, they bathe, groom and play with the dogs and leave at 4 PM, sharing pot luck with Clifford for their lunch. They used photos of five dogs and four cats of Prem Chaaya to produce a cute one-page laminated calendar for 2007. They donated the sale proceeds to Prem Chaaya. On the calendar presented to Clifford it is written: “What you guys are doing is wonderful! I have learnt a lot in Prem Chaaya from you and the animals there.”
Prem Chaaya is now institutionalized and firmly established at Kolambe. What does Clifford visualize his future role with the orphaned canines, felines and birds? “It is like riding a tiger; you can’t dismount”, says Clifford. He says that he is now 65 years old and looks forward to living and dying with the dogs. Like the mountain going to Mohammed, Clifford envisages leaving his ancestral home of his birth at Bolar, in Mangalore, and settling down at Kolambe, next to the animal shelter. His family fully supports him in his resolve. For, he explains, it is not enough to provide 5-star setting (by dog-standard) for the animals; he has to offer his compassion, love and emotions to his dumb wards.

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