Bengaluru dog uses Instagram for awareness

While others bark & make noise, this Indie & her rescuer raise funds for a novel cause

The pandemic normalised and promoted the value of adopting Indie dogs, and several celebrities and influencers took to the trend-tags to do this.

But one golden girl and her owner have taken it upon themselves to spread awareness and collect funds for dog rescue personnel in the city.

Leia_on_insta is a year-old Indie who with her mamma, Susan Kuruvilla, is rallying the masses to Adopt and Not Shop.

Leia entered Susan’s life when she was two weeks old and soon found a spot of royalty among the family.

A few months later with an unexpected loss, it was Leia who took charge and with her innocence and golden eyes healed Susan, one step at a time.

As Susan says, ‘’On days when I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, she’d make me take her for a walk and I’d get the fresh air I needed. On days when I didn’t feel like eating, I would feed her and then eat something too.’’

Soon, Susan realised how dismal the condition of street dogs was, and that people who rescued and helped these dogs in general did not have much in terms of support.

“With each day that Leia brought love and joy into my life, I realized that she could have been just like so many other animals who struggle to survive on the streets. Some were born there, some were abandoned there. The lucky ones just have to worry about food. But so many others are born with a disability, get injured, hit by cars, or worst of all – abused or abandoned by a human.’’

Thus was born Leia’s Barkery Fundraiser. This novel online event tied up with some of Bangalore’s  ‘’ best bakeries, patisseries and businesses who not only donated amazing products towards the sale, but showed us that they had hearts of gold too.’’

Since then, Leia_on_insta has helped organsie two fundraisers that raised over Rs 2 lakh in funds to help certain ground-level local organisations like Pet Adoption Bangalore and Second Chance Animal Adoption Centre that do phenomenal work among dogs.

The second fundraiser even had shirts that said Adopt Don’t Shop, and quirky keychains that donated their proceeds to these shelters.

Susan says, ‘’I started doing fundraisers to raise money (and hopefully also support and awareness) for rescue groups that I knew needed the help. I would see their posts, literally begging for funds so that they could continue treating the animals they had saved. And I thought nothing could be more unfair than someone trying to save an innocent animal’s life, and yet having to beg for help to do it.’’

Not only does Leia’s Instagram page highlight adoption stories and garner support for animals and rescuers in need, but also is a digital diary of her life as a rescue puppy. It also urges people to stop encouraging the breeding industry by using reels and short videos that have made Leia an insta star for the cause.

By Maria Kuruvilla