Two of the nine dogs that were rescued from Kalyan.

KALYAN: Nine dogs of different breeds kept in unhygienic condition were rescued from a dentist's bungalow in Kalyan on Thursday. The emaciated dogs, with their bones visible, were feeding on their own poop when animal activists, along with the police, swooped down on the doctor's house in the upmarket Godrej Hills locality and rescued the pack.

While three dogs are Siberian Husky breed, three are Golden Retrievers, one is Dogo Argentino, 1 French Mastiff and 1 is a Saint Benard breed pup.

The police got information from animal activist Chetan Sharma about the bungalow owner having kept the dogs in a poor condition. A police officer said the dogs were "completely malnourished". The dogs were shifted to a veterinary hospital, Bhumi Jivdaya, in Turbhe, said senior inspector of Khadakpada police station, Balasaheb Kadam.

The dentist who owns the bungalow, Dr Virendra Singh (50), has been booked under sections of the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act. He has not been arrested as the offence is a non-cognisable one. The police said the dentist has not given any information about why he kept the dogs in such a state. He lives there with his family. Dr Singh refused to comment when TOI contacted him.

Activist Sharma who, along with activist Nirali Koradia of People for Animals joined in the rescue operation, said, "The starving dogs were eating their excreta." While the activists expressed suspicion that the dogs were being starved so as to use them for mating, Dr Narendra Vadnare, a veterinarian from Kalyan, said starvation is not known to help in such a case.

Animal activists were unhappy about a non-cognizable offence being filed in the case. "It's time we have a new Animal Welfare Act passed in Parliament which is pending since 2015," said Nilesh Bhanage, founder of PAWS, an NGO.



In Video: Horrifying: How dogs left to starve were rescued in Maharashtra