Johny V John, 56, who built a farm for stray and abandoned dogs in Thrippunithura of Ernakulam, was laid to rest close to his canine companions on Monday. Johny had died on the previous Thursday following severe chest pain. He'd gone to the hospital for the same.
For the last 20 years, Johny had been taking care of stray dogs, providing them shelter, food and giving them up for adoption after making sure that they would be well taken care of.
A fruit tree farm of 1.5 acres in Irumpanam of Thrippunithura was used by Johny to rehabilitate abandoned dogs and find them new homes. Disabled, sick and stray dogs were also welcomed at the farm.
"There is a small house in the farm where the workers cook special food for the dogs. Johny would take in abandoned dogs with problems, make sure that they are vaccinated on time and provide them medicines. He also knew natural medicines for dogs, and he cured many of them. He lived in an apartment near the farm, and even there he hosted many abandoned dogs," TK Sajeev, Secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Kerala, told TNM.
He added that Johny used his own earnings to take care of the dogs who had come to him.
"There is no place like this in Kerala. We just had to rescue the dogs and bring them to him. After that, he would take care of everything. There is no such animal rescue home in Kerala presently," Sajeev said.
He also said that there were about 40 dogs presently in the farm. "On Monday, when hundreds arrived for his funeral, none of the dogs made a noise. Usually, if they see a stranger in the farm, they bark. But yesterday, they were also mourning their loss. Johny took care of them as if they were his own children," Sajeev said.
Johny would put the dogs up for adoption from the farm only if he was convinced that they would be absolutely safe.
"After the adoption, Johny would do frequent follow-ups to make sure that all the animals were treated well. He'd also conduct enquiries about people who came for adoption," Sajeev added.
When Johny began rescuing dogs in 2000, he sheltered about a hundred of them on the farm. Johny and his wife Reena opened the farm after they returned from Mumbai and settled in Ernakulam.
"I met him a few years ago. I had six puppies which had been abandoned on a hillside, and took them to his farm. I was surprised to see how he arranged the farm to take care of these abandoned animals. There were a couple of migrant labourers who were assigned to take care of them. There was good food, shelter and a vast area where these animals could walk freely. He was one of the greatest animal lovers Kerala has ever seen," Angels Nair, an animal rights activist, said. He also recalled how Johny accepted the puppies with great love.
It was Johny's wish to be buried in the farm after his death.