Feed Doggo Fridays: Standing by stray animals

A group of young, enthusiastic, and kind youngsters preparing to feed stray dogs near the capital's Dhanmondi Lake -- this is what I was welcomed to when I decided to join Feed Doggo Fridays on a fine summer morning earlier this month.

Fuelled by his profound love for animals, Shadman Ishrak, a 20-year-old preparing for his A' Levels back then, initiated the "Feed Doggo" project in September 2021. He realised the difficulties stray dogs would face during the tough times of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, due to certain difficulties, the team had to take a small pause from their cause in May 2022, only to return with a greater will this year in January.

Since its inception, the project has fed over 7,000 stray dogs and countless crows and cats; even goats.

"Sometimes, we try feeding the crows and other such animals too as most of us believe they contribute a lot to maintaining the city's ecological balance," said Ishrak.

The project is mainly run by a team of over 300 volunteers, aged between 13 and 27, who come together every Friday in Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, and areas of Old Dhaka.

"Some of them are regulars while many try and make time on as many Fridays as possible. However, we see the faces being repeated frequently," mentioned Ishrak while serving a portion of the day's special to a group of three hungry strays near Dhanmondi Lake.

The project is self-funded with the volunteers contributing from their pockets. So far, the young team of animal lovers has contributed around Tk 50,000 to keep the project running.

"We don't want to run from door to door collecting cash. Rather, we try and save as much as we can and welcome anyone who's interested to serve our little friends," shared the founder.

Once the money is assembled, a group is assigned to set off to the kitchen market while a few others start preparing for the cooking session. The team usually serves home-cooked rice and chicken, with just a pinch of salt and turmeric to ensure good health.

Starting around 9:00am every Friday, this young group spreads across different lanes of the aforementioned areas -- meeting, greeting, and finally dining with these neglected animals.

Anurag Biswas Koushik chose to join the cause after going through the trauma of losing a puppy to illness and has been a regular volunteer since the beginning.

"Feed Doggo Fridays has become a part of my life. The experience of meeting, interacting, and making friends with these animals is incredible. They teach me to be welcoming and humble while overlooking the negatives around me," said Koushik, the twenty-year-old volunteer who is preparing to join the fall session at the University of Alberta in Canada.

So far, the group of animal lovers has arranged around 50 Feed Doggo Fridays.

"We hope to see you all soon as I believe we need every set of hands we can find to help these animals," concluded Ishrak, as we parted ways near Dhanmondi 8 with smiles on our faces, and a sense of joy and contentment in my heart.