ARC was founded in 2005 by Janie after she fell in love with Goa during a break from her busy life running a Bollywood casting agency in Mumbai. At the time the area was plagued by roaming packs of wild dogs and reports of cases of rabies and attacks on the public. In response to the problem, every monsoon, the dogs would be rounded up and a mass cull would take place. “The cull was horrific" she says. “It happened because there was no local sterilisation or vaccination program in place".
While in Goa, Janie found a small stray puppy she later named Socks who was attacked by a member of the public leaving it with a broken leg. But with no vets or clinics close by, Janie had to build a makeshift splint and travel across the state to get medical assistance.
In a bid to combat the lack of veterinary services in South Goa she set up a makeshift treatment and vaccination center in the front room of her house. Word of it quickly spread. Soon locals and visitors were leaving animals at Janie's door for her to treat. As demand grew, a local hotelier allowed her to use their chicken shed as a clinic. By 2012 she had raised enough money to take a lease on the current Animal Rescue Centre premises, a small plot of land by the reservoir in the hills above Canacona where she runs the current animal hospital.
To achieve our mission we provide:
Emergency care and treatment for ill and injured animals
Anti-rabies vaccinations for stray dogs in the local area
Combination injections to prevent Parvo (Canine Parvovirus), Canine Distemper and other fatal diseases
A sterilisation project to contribute to India's wider Animal Birth Control Programme
Monsoon feeding programme
Education and awareness raising in local communities on how to care for and treat their pets and the local strays
