With changing times, more and more people are bringing pets to their homes looking for love and companionship from their adorable friends. They love and take care of their pets just like their kids. They love to pat them and snuggle with them lovingly, strengthening their bond with them. They love to pamper them and spoil them with tasty treats. There are many non profit organizations that also take care of stray animals. They work hard to rescue these animals, provide them with a shelter and provide them with necessary medical treatment. Worldly Wags is one such organization that has gained immense reputation in this field, taking a lot of proactive steps to fulfill their drive against animal suffering. We spoke to World Wags and tried to find out what they think about the plight of the stray animals and what they are doing to help them.Here is an excerpt of interview with Joellen, one of its founder members.1. Please share with us some information about Worldly Wags and what inspires you to do this noble cause?

Worldly Wags is a collaboration of people who are against animal suffering. We see physical pain as something which everyone can agree is "negative", and something from which stray animals get little relief. Both of us (the co-founders) are vegan, and animals' suffering is something that impacts us very deeply. We can't ignore it!

2. We would like to know the way you rescue/sterilize dogs and the numbers of people that are helping you.

"In Delhi we have sterilized around 250 dogs by working with community members. They contact us, we take their information, then we send the van. They help us find and catch the dogs, we transport them to Dr. Vijay of Sonadi Foundation (who bears the cost of the surgeries), and then we do post-operative care for 4 days before releasing the dogs. We don't charge a thing, and we bear the full cost of transportation and post-operative care. This is why we call our program the ABC Co-operative, because it takes many people!"

We work with the community because they know their neighborhood best and have a vested interest in getting EVERY female dog in their locality. When we concentrate area-by-area like this, our efforts aren't diluted and pockets of the city become puppy-free!

The next step in this program is trying to get people to participate in the sterilization process. We have already had some people doing transportation and some doing post-operative care, but we would like to see that happen more often. That way we can increase sterilizations and really make a dent!

In Delhi we focus almost exclusively on sterilizations, and in Himachal we are teaming up with Dharamsala Animal Rescue to do stray dog sterilizations as part of the ABC Co-operative. Also in Himachal (below Dharamsala), we run a Stray Animal Recovery Center where we can help injured stray animals. We are the only large animal rescue center in the area, so we are mostly working with cows, mules, and donkeys.

3. Could you share with us your views on cruelty towards larger stray animals, like cows, buffaloes, equines and elephants?

We have never seen a stray buffalo or elephant, for different reasons. Buffalo slaughter is legal so - like goats - a buffalo which cannot produce milk is sold to slaughter rather than being abandoned. Elephants are so expensive that they are worked until death. Any elephant which doesn't have an "owner" is actually living in it's natural way. They are wild animals!

As for stray cows and equids, they are a product of a money-minded mentality at the expense of the animal. With cows, no one can or wants to keep them after they stop producing milk, and the same goes for the baby bulls. They drink milk as infants and when they are older they are only used a few times a year for plowing. A dairy farmer can make far more money by simply dumping them. Equids only make money if they can carry a load. If they are too old, abused, or injured to do that then they are dumped.

The vast majority of people do not view animals as sentient, feeling beings. They only see what they can get out of them for profit. As long as this view holds true, there will be suffering stray animals.

4. Do you feel that people in India are sensitive to the cause of preventing cruelty towards animals?

Most people in India don't like outright cruelty, but they don't know what to do about it. Since they feel powerless to change anything they become apathetic and turn a blind eye. Even when someone is beating their bullock to pull an overloaded cart, or loading down their donkeys with too much weight, or throwing boiling water on a stray dog, they feel powerless to step in and do something about it. In cases of neglect - like injured stray animals - they feel powerless to help, so they ignore it.

5. What changes have you witnessed in the mindsets of people on the issue of cruelty towards animals, since the establishment of your organization?

Apathy towards suffering is pervasive, but often that apathy is bred from a lack of resources or knowledge about how to help. When we have given people the information they need, shown them that we are helping animals, or provided them with the resources to help, they often feel empowered and their apathy disappears.

For instance in our village in Himachal no one was rescuing dogs because they didn't know how, so injured dogs simply died on the road. Once we began rescuing and people knew there was a way to save them, they began to notice injured animals and were able to call us for help. Their apathy disappeared with knowledge and the power to do something.

6. Finally, how can Indian youth contribute, in their own significant way, in promoting the peaceful coexistence of animals and human beings?

Youth still have open minds and the energy to learn and help. They are absolutely vital to improvement in the lives of animals. Here are good ways for them to start:

• Learn the causes of abandonment and abuse and learn how they can fight them. That means looking into the meat and dairy industry and veganism, questioning the use of animals in any way, and becoming well-versed and knowledgeable about animal issues. It is important to have all the knowledge you can so that if someone questions, you have answers.
• Start working with qualified organizations to get some skills which help animals. If you are interested in policy and law, work with organizations that do it. If rescue is your thing, look into picking up treatment skills that you can use to help your neighborhood animals. More of an outreach and education person? Learn good design and layouts so that your material looks professional and eye catching. These tools will help immensely.
• Find like minded people. Working for animals is one of the toughest things to do. It can be exhausting and emotionally draining anyway, and doing it alone is isolating and makes it seem like the world is out to get you. Connecting with people who are doing the same work and can support each other is vital!

7. Can you share with us any interesting experience related to your movement?

The best moments are watching people change after meeting animals on equal footing. One of our volunteers in Himachal was a meat-eater before coming here, but he had never met a cow before. After spending a significant amount of time caring for the cows and truly bonding with some of them (learning their personalities and quirks, seeing their silly moments) it totally changed how he viewed all animals, especially the ones that he used to eat. Now he can't eat meat anymore! Moments like that make all the hard work worth it.

Readers can see our work and learn more about us at http://facebook.com/worldlywags .