Going beyond just spending time at their regular hanging out joint, Delhi University’s students have made a group to take of the stray which is usually found on the campus. The Patel Chest area in the varsity campus is usually a spot where students spend time with their friends but they also utilize that time to attend the strays who loiter in the campus. Shivam Dewan and group to be precise are found spending time with dogs.

As per a report published in Hindustan Times, Talking about this initiative starting from October last year Dewan said, “I live in Paschim Vihar and was assisting a company in Patel Chest to the set-up of a café. There I befriended a dog, suffering from malnutrition. I named her Molly. One day, I got a call from a stall owner, asking for help to save Molly.” Later he took the dog to Friendicoes and found that it had fractured its pelvic bone. In the span of the treatment, Dewan became attached to Molly and also starting thinking about the other dogs on the campus. He took help from his friends to help the strays like Molly and more.

Along with seven more students, Dewan was successful to setup two dog shelters. Starting of with cardboards now they have upgraded their shelters to be of bricks and mortar.

Gayatri Misra, one of the volunteers in the group said, “When we saw Molly, we volunteered to help, and that spiraled into a group. At present, we are taking care of three adult dogs and eight pups in shifts.”

Misra feels that by spending time with dogs she feels home, who actually belongs from Assam. She said, “It’s important to value these strays because they are also part of our society. Earlier I used to even miss my classes to go and pet the dogs at the shelter. Now that we are busy with our exams, I meet the dogs in the morning shift only. When I’m sad or depressed, they bring a smile on my face. Even while the group started with this noble cause still many shopkeepers were against it and were looking for a safe environment for the dogs. Many broke their shelters.

Dewan said, “To maintain one shelter for six months, the operational cost is about Rs 2500, which includes the price of dog’s food, their visits to the doctor for vaccination etc. And, if a dog meets with an accident, the cost goes higher.”

Now the group is also planning more how they can give dogs more safe environment.