Thiruvananthapuram: Sally Kannan from Thrissur is a dog catcher. That’s how she describes herself, when she is out to catch dogs and people ask her if she is a vet. An ABC programme manager and a para-vet, she feels that more women should take up dog catching. “Dogs trust women more,” she says. She has been approaching various authorities with a proposal to give training to women in Kudumbashree units as dog catchers. This week, she was in Thiruvananthapuram to attend a meeting of various animal welfare organisations with LSGD Minister K T Jaleel. She even put forward her idea of training women to the minister. “Female catchers can complement male catchers,” she says.
She has been working as an animal rescuer for over 15 years. She was one of the three women from the state to win the Women and Child Development Ministry’s Achievers Awards in 2015. At 32, she is also a cancer survivor. She trains seasoned dog catchers in the state. “Most dog catchers know only the traditional method of snaring dogs employing wire loops. Many also kill dogs by injecting poison into their hearts. Dogs that escape such violent methods tend to be aggressive,” she says.
She prefers to hand-catch dogs, whenever possible. “The friendliest dogs can be caught by hand. When people see us touching a stray, it reassures them. When this is not possible, we use butterfly nets. Such friendly methods ensure that dogs do not turn aggressive. Through the training programme, many catchers who were killers have had a transformation,” she says.
She has completed Para-vet and ABC Programme Manager's course at Worldwide Veterinary Services, Ooty. “People tell me that I talk about dogs because I am a dog lover. But pig is my favourite animal, and I am a Farm Animal Welfare outreach consultant with the Human Society International/India,” she says.
