On the occasion of World Animal Welfare Day, Bangalore Times shines a light on the numerous groups in the city comprising individuals devoted to improving the lives of animals, particularly those often overlooked. Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, the founder of the city's canine squads, describes these groups as a safety net for animals, with members going above and beyond to advocate for voiceless creatures. According to Chetty-Rajagopal, these groups serve as the watchdogs for dogs, intervening to solve problems whenever they arise. Their main objective is to provide education and empower individuals to care for animals.

Many people feel uncertain about how to assist abandoned or injured dogs, prompting these groups to address this knowledge gap. Mallika Ghosh, a member of the CV Raman Nagar Canine Squad, regularly disseminates a list of crucial emergency contact numbers to help educate the public on proper responses to different situations involving animals. The groups' goal is to raise awareness about appropriate actions to take, as it is not solely about reuniting lost dogs with their families.

The canine squads in Bangalore carry out various activities, including establishing local communities dedicated to animal care, emphasizing important issues like spaying/neutering and anti-rabies vaccinations, promoting community participation in animal welfare, fostering a sense of community and trust, collaborating with local authorities and the police, and sharing knowledge and best practices related to spaying, abuse prevention, rescue operations, and combatting cruelty.

Amid the pandemic, many dogs were abandoned due to baseless fears of them spreading Covid-19, and India's Animal Birth Control (ABC) program was inactive, resulting in a surge of puppies. To address this issue, members of the Sadashivanagar Canine Squad, such as Parvathi Prabhakar, took action by neutering approximately 400 dogs. Prabhakar emphasizes that neutering is the most effective solution to this problem.