It was in 2018 that Mary and Steve Muscroft, a British couple, had arrived in Kovalam, Kerala, for a 2-week trip. It’s been 13 years since then and the couple never went back to the UK. Why? Well, our Indie dogs are very much the reason!
According to TNIE, in Kovalam, they saw several stray dogs in need of care. At first, they rescued 2 stray dogs and asked the locals if anyone was willing to take care of them. When no one came forward, Mary and Steve decided to cancel their return tickets, stay back, and care for the dogs.
Mary used to work at the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Steve, who is now 62-years-old, ran a manufacturing business in Bradford before his retirement.
After the two dogs, Mary and Steve adopted more.
“Two dogs became six, then became 12 and on and on,” said Steve.
According to an earlier report by BBC, the couple used to feed several street dogs of Kovalam. They had to hire a rickshaw to carry all the food for a 15-km long feeding trip. They used to find puppies on their way which were picked up and brought back to their rented place. As word spread about them, people started to leave dogs at their doorstep.
“We found six puppies left in a plastic bag once,” Steve said.
However, now they have about 140 dogs under their care. They have 4 large shelters where the dogs stay. Besides that, 1,500 dogs have been sterilised and over 2,400 dogs have been vaccinated.
They currently run an animal clinic and have set up ‘Street Dog Watch Association’ which rescues, feeds, vaccinates, and sterilises street dogs in Kovalam.
We hope Mary and Steve inspire many more people to help our Indie dogs!