W

hen entering the Pejaten shelter for stray dogs in South Jakarta, visitors are received with a cacophony of yelps and barks, after which the most curious run toward their visitors, while the rest of the roughly 100 dogs cautiously follow. Some are hostile, others playfully chew on the visitors’ shoes.

The shelter provides housing for dogs. Those considered too dangerous, mostly pitbulls, are held in cages.

The rest of the dogs sleep in baskets filled with food or walk around.

These animals should be considered lucky. The volunteers at the Pejaten shelter rescued them from the streets or from abusive owners. “Sometimes we even buy them to prevent them from being slaughtered for meat,” says Satria “Anggon” Dewangga Biran, a volunteer at the shelter.

Jakarta has a few of these shelters. Although their approaches and execution vary, they have a common goal: saving the lives of dogs in need. Besides rescuing the animals, the shelters provide food, shelter and emergency healthcare.

More importantly, they try to prevent more dogs from facing a similar fate, by campaigning.

The Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), for example, runs a campaign called “dogs are not food” in cooperation with the Jakarta Agriculture Agency, Change For Animals (CFAF) and Humane Society International (HIS).

Although this is more common in North Sumatra, it still happens in Jakarta. JAAN estimates that 720 dogs a week are killed for their meat in Jakarta.

Not only is this illegal, but JAAN also emphasizes that this is a public health issue, citing a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which stated that the rabies outbreak of 2015 was directly connected to the illegal transportation of dogs for the purpose of killing them.

They also run an educational program to urge people to think long and hard about getting a dog, offering information about dog caring and the benefits of adopting a dog.

This is very important, says Karin Franken, who works for JAAN.

“In general here in Jakarta people can afford to have a pet and they often get one for a high price, just to follow a trend or to show off. Then they realize it’s a lot of work, or it bothers their daily life, and then they will get rid of the dog or cat.”

Their campaigns have led to an increase in awareness about the benefits of adoption and changes in policy. For example, micro-chipping will be compulsory in 2018 after extensive lobbying by JAAN.

Unfortunately, irresponsible pet ownership is also on the rise. “Having a pedigree pet is increasingly popular now, so people buy [one] not realizing the responsibility that comes with having a pet,” said Franken.

It is policy for both shelters to check on the houses and neighborhoods of potential owners to see whether or not they are fit for the dog. Interested parties are also asked about their motives, although this is not always necessary.

“When someone asks for a big black dog, something is probably wrong,” says Anggon.

Big black dogs are considered a delicacy by keen dog-eaters.

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post