If animal rights activist are to be believed, as many as twodogs are deserted by their owners in the Capital every day. Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre found 11 dogs -- two Dobermans, two Boxers, four Spitz and one Dalmatian, Great Dane and Alsatian each -- abandoned in one month. Another seven such dogs were found by Friendicoes, this September. Among them were five Spitz, one Doberman and one German Shepherd.

``What's sad is that once abandoned, these dogs completely lose the will to live,'' Sheshmani says.

Now, with awareness about animal centres spreading, many dog-owners have started treating these as a dump-yard for unwanted pets. ``They view these shelters as a surrogate home. I guess that saves them the guilt. But it hits the pet hard -- psychologically,'' says Dr Sunita Nauriyal of the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre.

``These cases are increasing by the day. From four or five cases a month, the number has gone up to 15 in one month. In 40 to 50 per cent of the cases, we try to rehabilitate the pet. In others, we try and persuade the owner to take thepet back,'' Dr Nauriyal adds.

``If we go by the figures at our shelter, in one week, as many as four or five healthy dogs are found abandoned; two or three street dogs are rehabilitated and one or two lost dogs are recovered,'' adds Sheshmani. Reasons for abandoning pets vary from shifting residence or birth of a baby in the house to low `commercial' value, say the activists.

``One healthy, mixed breed, predominantly a Doberman, was abandoned because it had become ferocious due to a wound on its neck. The person who called us said the dog was rabid and had gone wild. But the fact is, the cosmopolitan lifestyle seems to be becoming less and less tolerant of pets,'' says Sheshmani.

Adding to the pressure is the decreasing tolerance of neighbours. A number of complaints terming the neighbour's dog ``a nuisance, because it barks too much'' or ``mad, because it is snapping at everyone'' are increasing, say animal rights activists. And with them are increasing cases of cruelty against animals, forcing manypet-owners to simply abandon the animal rather than face daily harassment from neighbours.

Says Neena Anand, an animal rights activist: ``Owning a pedigree pet has become fashionable. But people forget that the pet will grow up and need its space. Also, many people entrust the dogs to their servants, who keep them tied to the gate. The result is that the animal begins to whine and snap out of sheer frustration.'' And this is not tolerated. ``We simply have no say in our system,'' she rues. ``In many western countries, a citizen has the right to report the matter to the police and rescue the animal. The culprit is fined, blacklisted and barred from keeping a pet.''