“Wouldn’t it be nice to take a vacation sometimes, make new friends, take a swim, and pamper myself?” our dogger-in-chief, Poppy woofed at me.

“Do you know such a place where you can go and do all of that?” I asked her.

She jumped on my seat and typed, “,” and looked at me, “Here. I wanna go here, NOW!” she barked.

And so, I called the owner of the hotel, to book a room for our Chief. Interestingly, while talking, I got to know that he’s an animal welfare activist in Chennai and an animal rescuer.

“So far I have rescued over 2000 snakes,” he confided.

“What do you do after the rescue?” I asked.

“If they are injured we treat them and then release them to the nearby forests or hand them to the Forest Department,” said Shravan.

“Did you ever get emotionally attached to any of the animals you had rescued?” curiously, I questioned.

“Never! One should not get emotional towards the animals they rescue. For this reason, I never name the animals I rescue. Also, I feel happy when I release them because they belong to the wild. I remember I rescued a bird once. Her wings were broken, so we treated her for four months. And, I felt so happy when I set her free,” he smiled.

Shravan revealed that he has represented his state in cricket for ten years before suffering a spinal injury and on the doctor’s advice he had to discontinue playing. Later, his focus shifted to animal welfare, and he came up with the unique idea of Hotel for Dogs.

“The whole idea behind the concept is that when the owners of dogs go on holidays, then their dogs must also get a vacation. We have two hotels in Bangalore and Chennai. We have pick and drop facility, play area for the dogs, spa facilities, and a swimming pool,” told Shravan.

“We have around 12 caretakers, two trainers, two managers, a groomer, and a 24×7 veterinarian at the hotel to take care of our guests,” he added.

“Don’t the dogs miss their owners?” I enquired.

“Oh no! We ensure that they are engaged in various activities, plus they get to meet and make so many friends. And, not to forget they are always up to some mischief or the other,” he explained.

“Haha! I can imagine!” I chimed in.

Right now, Shravan has a family of 50 dogs most of whom are blind or handicapped. “If people find any handicapped or blind dog, they give them to us and we adopt them,” he said.

“Tell me the names of the few, please,” I insisted.

He laughed, “We have Apple, Orange, Oreo, Nilson, Chotu, Banana. All of them are adorable.”

“I bet they are,” I said, imagining.

Shravan also discussed the need for adopting the dogs of Indian breeds.

“Most people want to pet a “high” breed dog. I feel that every dog will give you the same amount of love, be it any breed. Also, one should understand that Indian breeds are not only low-maintenance but are already adapted to the climatic conditions of our country.”

Me: What should a layman do when he/she comes across an injured animal?

Shravan: Most people do not help the injured or the bleeding animal due to the fear. But, if any animal is bleeding or is injured then one should help the animal. The injured animal won’t attack you. So, one should carry the animal and take it to the nearby veterinary as soon as possible.

Me: And when should we call for the rescue expert?

Shravan: In the case of dangerous animals like snakes, people must not try to rescue them on their own. Most of the snakes are venomous, and so one should always call a rescue team as we are equipped to handle the animals.

Me: Humans are encroaching the space of the wild. How can we create balance for the survival and sustainability of the animals?

Shravan: We should stop reproducing. We have overpopulated the planet with humans, and so controlling the population is the only way to break this cycle. Period!

Totally agree!

JWB lauds Shravan Krishnan’s contribution towards animal welfare and wishes that more people join him to raise a voice for animal rights.

P.S.- I have booked a vacation for our dogger-in-chief, and if you also want to, check out Hotel for Dogs facebook page, .

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