This is part of a limited series, “14 Days, 14 Stories”, about ordinary Pakistanis who are doing extraordinary things in order to give back to Pakistan.
In a country where 800 dogs were poisoned, donkeys are beaten and star animals starve and die, there is someone trying to make a difference.
On March 5th, 2016, at 10 am, Kiran Maheen got a phone call. Her friend was on the line. He sounded mortified. A dog had been shot. She had been shot twice in the face, but she was still alive. One of the bullets had hit her in the eye, and the dog lay helplessly on the ground.
Kiran rushed to the site and they took the dog to a vet. The vet tried everything, but the damage was too deep.
This dog’s miserable end changed everything. On March 6th, Kiran started the Todd’s Welfare Society. It is named in honor of her own dog who was stolen six years ago.
Their goal is to “help protect and rescue strays and to educate people about the on-going cruelty inflicted on animals.”
Todd’s Welfare Society (TWS) is a Lahore based project which rescues injured, distressed, and unloved animals. They then rehabilitate them and put them up for adoption. If no one adopts them, they continue to keep them in their rehab facility and provide them with care.
Kiran says she loves what she does because of transformation in the animals she rescues. She finds them tattered and abandoned, with sadness in their eyes, but when they find a new family, they are so happy. This happiness is what keeps her going.
There have been over 30 adoptions since TWS was established in March. Adoptions have declined since Ramadan though, Kiran stated.
They fund the cause through donations and Kiran earns through another job, as well. TWS hopes that they can put an end to animal cruelty in Lahore and then eventually all of Pakistan.
The one message Kiran has for Pakistanis is that an animal’s behavior is a reflection of how they are treated. So if we can started loving them, they too will start loving us.
You can visit TWS’s Facebook page here to find out more information and to donate or volunteer.
For more stories from our series about extraordinary Pakistanis check out ‘14 Days, 14 Stories‘.