Meet the Agnihotris: A Tale of Resilient Commitment Towards the Happiness of Dogs

“Arre Beta, mujhe farak nhi padta jab yeh Doggies mujhe kaatlete hain. Yeh mere se bahut pyaar karte hain. God is great, voh meri aur inki raksha karenge,” says Mrs. Sangeeta Agnihotri, a sexagenarian homemaker who is meticulously taking care of Street Dogs in the neighborhood of Dwarka, New Delhi. A native of Indore, Mrs. Agnihotri is a resident of Shivlok Apartments, situated in Sector-6, Dwarka.

She lives with her husband, Mr. Sunil, and her nonagenarian Mother-in-law. The family enthusiastically holds an unwavering obligation toward the well-being of homeless dogs and puppies in their vicinity. Her married daughter Shubhangi resides in Bengaluru and is also an ardent advocate of animal rights. Mrs. Agnihotri’s son, Sumant is currently a resident of Hyderabad.

Delhi is home to an estimated population of 1,89,285 stray dogs. These dogs reside in different parks and streets positioned in the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation (MCD), according to the last census of 2016. Their living conditions are often very pathetic, filled with eating filth and facing man's vengeful wrath. In such a scenario, wherein the population of street dogs is rapidly intensifying and giving tough competition to the swiftly rising population of human beings, violent confrontations are inevitable between man and animals.

More than 13,000 dog bites and similar cases take place in Delhi regularly, often going unreported. Whereas, animal cruelty is also rampant; such matters are discouragingly not publicized and are significantly more than the registered cases of dog attacks on humans. Mrs. Sangeeta and her family have steadfastly worked day and night to abridge this unceremonious gap between dogs and people.

The Agnihotri couple started feeding local stray dogs living in the nearby park in the year 2016. Over time, they developed a strong, loving bond with a resident pack of dogs in the park. Since then, they have recurrently facilitated the vaccination, medication, sterilization, and nurturing expenses of the dog pack. They did not stop with their noble activities even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple regularly visited the park, nourished the dogs, and spent quality time with them.

However, Mrs, Sangeeta was hospitalized after contracting Coronavirus in April 2021. She had to be airlifted to Madhya Pradesh after health facilities experienced a breakdown in the National Capital during the ‘second wave’ of the pandemic. Yet, this did not become a deterrent in carrying forward their noble endeavors as she successfully recovered from the illness.

They have also named the dogs and the subsequent puppies being born into the family. “Amrish is my favorite, he is very loyal. He has a baritone bark and a terrifying aura of the late actor Amrish Puri. Therefore, we named this dog after the legendary actor”, says a cheerful Sunil Agnihotri.

Mr. Agnihotri is a retired Indian Foreign Service-B officer and has served in that capacity for over 40 years. At present, he is working as a consultant to the Union Ministry of AYUSH. The couple has always painstakingly taken care of animals in their proximity wherever the Central Government consigned them postings in India or abroad.

Amrish is just one among the 16 dogs of the pack the Agnihotris are catering to. Blacky, Molly, Ladanka, Meenu, Choti, Junior Choti, Sheeni, Choti Meenu, and Sundari are the female members. While Jimmy, Tony, Tinku, Barfi, Sheenu, and Deenu are the male dogs. Unfortunately, Sheenu, Tinku, Jimmy, and Blacky passed away between 2022-23. Also, in 2021, the Agnihotri family officially adopted Cheenu, one of the male pups born to Molly in 2020.

Through his gracious act, they have inspired many people in the neighborhood to adopt street puppies instead of expensive, exotic, foreign dog breeds. (One of Meenu's female puppies, Lily was also adopted in January 2022 by Vinayak Nair, the author of this article)

Mrs. Agnihotri’s tedious routine starts at 7:00 in the morning as she prepares food for her family and the dogs. She makes nutritious food from milk products, cereals, and eggs. Garnished with some motherly affection, she equally distributes the delicacies to her adopted four-legged children. In addition to the park dogs, she also has to provide for the needs of the boisterous Cheenu at home.

The Agnihotri family has not only worked for the welfare of dogs, but has also persistently worked for the betterment of the neighborhood they are residing in. Mr. Sunil has assisted the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of his Society in fixing damaged street lights. The couple has also aided the residents in maintaining the civic cleanliness of the locality.

The Shivlok CGHS systematized a Covishield vaccination drive in August 2022. The Agnihotri family was instrumental in organizing the program and mobilizing residents and locals to administer themselves with the vaccines to combat COVID-19.

In addition to dogs, the family also feeds Cows and Avian species passing through the neighborhood. Despite facing backlash from certain local residents for feeding street dogs, they have protested against animal cruelty taking place in the vicinity. They have organized support for the same initiative throughout.

The family is an active participant in various social and cultural happenings as well. Mrs. Agnihotri unites the women of the society and spreads awareness regarding animal cruelty, spirituality, women empowerment, and taking care of elderly citizens. They have also cleared the park from garbage.

They regularly remunerate the security guards and daily wage workers delegated to maintain the safety and sanitation of the area. The couple has also built a shed in the park for the safety of the puppies during harsh winters and incessant rains.

“Patanahi humare baad inka kya hoga, isliye ab next generation ko aage aana hoga”, says a worried Mrs. Agnihotri who is constantly apprehensive about the future of her dogs. Though the family has successfully vaccinated and neutered all dogs and gained the support of locals like Mr. Rajeev, Mrs. Babita Kashyap, and Mrs. Ananya in feeding them, the Agnihotris fail in putting their trepidations out of sight regarding the present and future of their mongrels. However, they have fruitfully mobilized local, educated teenagers for feeding dogs and adopting homeless puppies.

People have been influenced by the good deeds of the Agnihotris, and the family doesn’t accept donations for their initiatives. They are bearing all expenses from their own earnings; they are only expecting kindness, faithfulness, and determination from the people who are supporting them. The happiness of the dogs stands as a concrete testament to the painstaking efforts invested by the unsung Agnihotri family.