On World Animal Welfare Day, Bangalore Times shines a light on the numerous groups in the city whose members have devoted their lives to improving the lives of neglected animals. These groups act as a safety net for animals and work tirelessly to provide care and support, especially for those that are typically overlooked. Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, the founder of Bangalore’s canine squads, emphasizes that these groups serve as advocates for voiceless animals, offering assistance and guidance in times of need. The goal is to educate and empower individuals to better care for animals, addressing the lack of knowledge regarding how to help abandoned or injured dogs. Mallika Ghosh, a member of the CV Raman Nagar Canine Squad, regularly shares essential emergency contact numbers to equip people with the necessary information to act in such situations. The canine squads aim to establish local communities focused on animal care, promote important initiatives like neutering and anti-rabies vaccination, enhance community engagement in animal welfare, build trust within communities, and collaborate with various organizations and authorities to share knowledge and best practices on animal care. The groups also actively work towards neutering every dog in Bengaluru to address issues like abandonment and overpopulation, particularly exacerbated during the pandemic. Parvathi Prabhakar, a member of the Sadashivanagar Canine Squad, has personally neutered around 400 dogs as part of efforts to tackle this problem, emphasizing the importance of this practice in managing the population of stray dogs.