support for food and well-beings of 47 rescue dogs

Feeding dogs on the streets of Bengaluru, a corporate employee, 37-year-old Amee Mendez is a dog lover who has been looking out for man’s best friend with steely determination. She’s taking care of 47 rescued dogs in her Horamavu home in northeastern Bengaluru; she considers them her family.

Her journey started many years ago when she found an abandoned Pomeranian while she was headed to work. After asking around, she realized the dog was helpless and surviving on leftovers.

Mendez made her decision then; she decided to take care of the dog herself, unaware that this was a sign; it would lead to bigger things in the future.

“I could relate to her pain. I was also helpless after my grandmother died. I could see myself in her,” she told us as our conversation continued. “I named her Betty.”

Mendez rescued another dog the day we talked to her, offered shelter and a home to her four-legged friend. “I’ve always had a passion for animals,” she said, explaining that moving to the big city from Kerala, where she was raised, gave her a chance to find her niche.

Her parents are divorced and she lost her grandmother a few years ago. She found unconditional love with her pets and shared that she’d never planned to become an activist. Taking care of dogs feels natural; it’s something that was meant to happen.

However, holding down a minimum wage day job hasn’t hindered her from continuing her quest to save dogs from the brutality of the streets. After work, every night, she steps out and offers food to the animals. She’s been soldiering on for eleven years, undeterred by obstacles such as irate neighbours who complained.

She usually takes care of the mothers and after ensuring the safety of the puppies gives them to other animal lovers looking to adopt. It’s harder to find people who want to adopt older dogs, there are a lot of pre-conceived notions.

Mendez has been forced to relocate to new apartments several times in different parts of the city. As the number of dogs under her care grew, complications arose. Finances became a major hurdle since Mendez essentially relied on her personal income to feed the dogs. With the increase in the number of dogs while 5 of them currently being sick, she have been struggling to make ends meet.

So, me and my other friends open this page to raise as much money as we can to help Mendez to meet her struggling needs.

Any amount of donations is appreciated.

THANK YOU