Kathmandu:

Every dog has its day. It literally came true on November 8 as the Nepalis celebrated the Kukur (dog) puja worshipping their four-legged friends (hopefully all). Perhaps one of the best places to see this kukur puja was at the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT), a street and community dogs care centre, Budhanilkantha.

Holy water was sprinkled on the dogs, long tikas were put, and each was beautifully garlanded with flowers. And yes, they looked cute.

Most dogs were, however, oblivious to the worshipping ceremony, and instead, curiously wagged their tails as if to ask if any food was on offer or were just sniffing about as usual for some catch. Some dogs, scared to death by the rituals, scampered off to safety as soon as they could break free, while a few others, suspicious of the people’s intentions, even barked their hands away.

“Dai, when you bless Zango, tell him not to bite people. Also, not to scare people who come during day, but only during night,” said a worker at the centre struggling to get a big dog ready for the puja.

“It looks so, so cute,” an excited foreigner could not stop herself from remarking at a puppy

after its puja.

Around 40 dogs are presently housed at KAT, which works toward sterlising and rescuing street and community dogs, and also raising awareness among people on taking care of animals.

“Although on this day the animals are respected, there should also be a general awareness to always treat them kindly,” said Khageshwor Sharma, project manager, KAT.

According to Sharma, the centre has already treated over 5,500 dogs since it was established in 2004. “There are around 20,500 street and community dogs inside the Ring Road. The number is estimated to be 30-35,000 in the entire Valley,” he said.