The story of Rosie, a 14-year-dog subjected to pre-pubertal sterilisation in 2009 as part of the Early Neutering in Dogs (END) project piloted by the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), is a promising one for Kerala when the State is beset with rising dog bite cases and rabies deaths.
Rosie was one among the first batch of six puppies brought in for END surgery by M.K. Narayanan, Dean, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Wayanad, who was then an assistant professor of surgery at the KVASU Veterinary Hospital in Thrissur.
After a successful hysterectomy, she was adopted by the University Veterinary Hospital at Kokkala, Thrissur, and now protects the hospital premises. As many as 300 puppies were then sterilised and given for adoption as part of the animal birth control programme in dogs. The project was then introduced with the slogan ‘No more dogs in the streets’.
