A very special day for street dogs - 2nd September 2020

It was International Dog Day on 26th August. The day was very special for many families this year.

Lots of people felt lonely in the Covid-19 lockdown. People with dogs didn't feel so bad.

3 million people in India had Coronavirus. People had to stay at home for a month. After the lockdown, lots of people got a dog.

Dawn William works for an animal charity.

William: "People feel fine when they have a dog, have a pet at home. You know, you have to care for it, you have to give him a bath, you have to take him for a walk, you have to play with him and, he has also a lot of demands from you, so it keeps you going."

There are 30 million street dogs in India. They don't have a home. Animal charities want people to get one of these dogs. They call them "desi" or "indie" dogs.

Young people in India are listening. Many of them are getting a "desi" dog.

Avani Naresh: "So basically, what I feel is, dog absorbs your entire stress, so they understand, you know, what you are going through. And that's like the brilliant thing about the dogs, about the pets."