Rakesh Shukla is a software engineer and entrepreneur by day, and a dog rescuer in his spare time. That alone is praiseworthy, but get this: Shukla provides forever homes for over 700 sick and unwanted street dogs on a 3-acre farm in Doddballapur, Bangalore, India.
Voice of Stray Dogs, the non-profit founded by Shukla, is the largest citywide dog rescue in the world. It includes the farm, a 20-man, 4-van team to pick up strays, and it also provides legal aide and resources to fight the unconscionable practice of culling (rounding up and euthanizing) unwanted dogs.
Voice of Stray Dogs
Caution: graphic images
Rakesh’s non-profit draws on his background in software and startups along with his love of dogs. He uses a custom app to coordinate rescues, search information on individual dogs, request legal aid, track canine blood bank needs, and even browse adoptable dogs.
The Stray Dog App
What’s on the horizon for Voice of Stray Dogs? The non-profit organization seeks to fund a charity hospital for dogs. This resource would keep quality care inside the organization, allowing for better co-ordination of care for all dogs that pass through their doors.
VOSD Charity Hospital Project
Hat tip: BBC World News