The flow of life is punctuated with ups and downs, and amid this unpredictability, we make friends for a lifetime.  We fall in love; we volunteer even to adopt love.

I adopted love in the form of three furry ruffians: my beloved pets, my Boo, who is the lamest dog on earth, Bubbles, my drama queen and the alpha of the pack, and their litter, the cuddly, forever greedy Patches.

I lost Patches a year ago, and recently, Bubbles joined her on the other side of the rainbow. The day I was grieving her passing away, mayhem broke loose in Japan Garden City.

I couldn't wrap my head around such atrocious behaviour and hatred towards these animals, who only lack the power of speech.

Their soulful eyes communicate and share an emotional bond with their humans and others. They speak a thousand words only with their love-filled eyes, cheerful barking, and their slobbering kisses. They only have unselfish love to give. Then why do we harbour such unexplained rage against these helpless beings?

 I don't know which doctrine preaches abhorrence towards Almighty's creation in this heinous manner. The pictures showing the dead bodies of the mongrels and puppies were no less a genocide scene in my eyes.

"How is it possible to plan such wicked acts of poisoning free meals; food they thought you gave out of love for them? How did you miss the gratefulness in their eyes when they took the first bite and how could you not see the hurt in those woeful eyes when they were dying in pain? Did your child witness this act of cruelty? What kind of love are you teaching your children?"  -- These questions plagued my mind.

Life for the strays is a question of survival of the fittest, centred around scavenging for food. I know pet mommas who would feed their leftovers to street animals. When they buy their food, they make it a point not to throw away the innards of the poultry or the fish oil. These are fed to strays in the bazaars. Every butcher shop and roadside tea stalls have a pet who thrives on scraps and snacks that people give them.

So, the city folks show kindness too.

However, for many of us in this city, strays are a nuisance.

They are unkempt, infested with fleas and ticks, and maybe rabid in some instances. It is understandable that not all among us would share the same kind of love for strays or pets, but that should not lead to such a complex deep-rooted need to kill.

This desire to target the weak only exposes their mental inabilities. The impulsiveness of aggression gratifies their ego alone, showing their barbarous side in every social aspect of their life, be it in the case of domestic violence or cruelty to animals.

There is no love lost in loving animals -- even religions of all kinds preach it. Religion does not endorse aggression toward animals.

I decided I would not elaborate on this untoward incident, instead focusing on the fact that Dhaka people are now embracing pets in their lives.

Whether local and fancy breeds, many households in this city have cats and dogs as their companions.

In my lane alone in Uttara Sector-5, there are two pet shops, and a veterinary clinic, which were almost nil 13 years ago when I adopted Boo. It is now difficult to get a vet's appointment without getting a prior serial number. Local breed of cats and dogs are now the most opted choice for adoption.

Free shelters, free medical support, and free CNVR (catch-neuter-vaccinate-return) programmes have long been advocated and carried out by animal-friendly groups. Vet clinics now have an in-patient department, X-ray, pathology, isolation for infectious diseases, and options for house calls as well.

With Dhaka boasting such standard animal care centres, and active groups who are engaged in culling violence against animals; I choose to see hope.

Photos: DU Animal Welfare Team