A German Shepherd, left abandoned in a crowded Delhi market, waited eight hours for her owner before animal welfare activists came to rescue her. The heartbreaking story of the dog, which has been rechristened ‘Swiggy,’ has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage and sympathy.
The story started when X user Ajay Joe shared a video on January 14 of the German Shepherd sitting on a parked scooter. As quoted from Joe, this dog had apparently been left waiting for her master in a marketplace in Delhi for the return. He explained this by saying: “This evening, a dog was brought to a marketplace in Delhi on a scooter and was conveniently left behind—in other words, abandoned. The poor dog has climbed onto another scooter and has been waiting there for the past 8 hours, longing for his owner. His eyes are full of hope and despair as he looks around, searching for the person who left him.”
Animal lovers immediately noticed the dog’s situation. Volunteers started working together to ensure her safety, and one stayed with the dog till 3 am, feeding and comforting her. Renu Khinchi, another volunteer, managed to arrange transport to take the dog to a safer location.
Swiggy’s New Name and Rescue
Lastly, animal rescuer Kaveri Rana rescued the German Shepherd. Then, it was found that the dog was female, and a social media update had previously said otherwise. According to Joe, “We did not care what gender the dog was when we were trying to rescue her and keep her safe all night. The watchful eye of dedicated volunteers kept her safe on the streets.
The dog was given the name ‘Swiggy’ in reverence to the initiative of the food delivery platform towards reuniting lost pets with their owners. Joe and Rana, and many others for that matter, were furious with the abandonment of the dog. Joe wrote, “Abandoning a pet is one of the most heartless and cruel acts a human can commit.”. Pets depend on us for care and love; leaving them is a betrayal of their trust and loyalty,” while Rana added, “Curse to the evil human who abandoned such a sweet, loyal doggo who kept on waiting!”
She’s a girl ❤️
We’ve named her “Swiggy” after @Swiggy ‘s initiative to help find missing dogs.
Thanks to everyone’s good wishes on @X , she stayed near the scooter, clinging to it often, now safe @TheDogMother_’s home and sanctuary.
In our efforts to rescue her and ensure her… https://t.co/WIwp2h92ga pic.twitter.com/bBRfL3RtBM
— Ajay Joe (@joedelhi) January 15, 2025
Swiggy’s story has touched the hearts of many, with social media users praising her rescuers for their efforts to ensure her safety.
