From Menace to Allies: “Yard Guards Project” by thePack.in and Tara Chand is Changing the Narrative Around Street Dogs

India’s first Pet-Ed startup thePack.in, in collaboration with Tara Chand Infralogistic Solutions Limited introduces the first-of-its-kind “Yard Guards Project,” in Navi Mumbai to highlight the potential of Indian street dogs as functional security guards. Spearheaded by canine expert Garima Tomar, and executed by behaviorist Calvin Godinho, this noble initiative aims to train a pack of rescued indie dogs to patrol a stockyard, bark at anything strange, and alert the resident security guards at the property to take necessary action.

Demo of the dogs performance from the event held at Navi Mumbai on the 12th of July, 2023

The Yard Guard team is comprised of four exceptional dogs who were meticulously selected from a pool of 40 candidates, on the basis of their innate protective instincts, adaptability, and temperament. The selected dogs were then gradually shifted to the yard where they have been housed in spacious, individualised kennels. From expert approved diet to regular health checks, bi-weekly grooming routines, daily play time and more – the team has taken all steps to ensure high quality of life for the dogs.

Mr. Shobhit Mohanty, Founder and CEO, thePack.in said, “All the Yard Guards underwent behavior and health assessments, before gradually transitioning to the Tara Chand’s yard. To ensure the dog’s well-being, we have implemented several comprehensive care protocols. Meet the dedicated yard guards: Milo, Tammy, Frodo, and Luna. These rescued Indies play a vital role in enhancing security at the yard while also serving as loving companions to the on-ground staff. Our initiative is a tiny step in changing the narrative around street dogs – how they are not a menace and in fact, can add value to our communities. It shows us the path away from today’s ongoing conflicts, towards living in harmony with our community dogs.”

The training plan for the project was split across four phases:

• Phase 1 of the project was about establishing a daily routine, building the dogs trust with their handlers, and making the caretakers comfortable with working with dogs.

• During Phase 2, thePack.ins expert Calvin, focused on obedience training and handler involvement. He was supported by Rohan Kulkarni, an experienced canine trainer, in gradually instilling, guarding, and patrolling instincts in the dogs.

• The focus of Phase 3 was on refining watch dog skills and transferring key learnings to the Tara Chand ground team. The team held a demonstration on July 12 for all the stakeholders to showcase the dog’s progress and readiness for the project.

• Phase 4, to start from August, aims to fully transition care of dogs to the Tara Chand team with the expert team conducting regular visits to ensure all protocols are being adhered to and the dogs’ wellbeing is taken care of.

“We believe that discovering the untapped potential of our community dogs through the Yard Guards Project is going to be a game-changer for our commercial properties. Witnessing the dedication, loyalty, and natural instincts of these street dogs, we realized that they possess an incredible ability to protect and secure our premises. We are proud to be a part of this transformative project and excited to collaborate with thePack.in, in training these guards using a positive methodology,” said Mr. Vinay Agarwal, Managing Director, Tara Chand Infralogistic SolutionsLimited.

The Yard Guards project is supported by India’s pioneering canine expert and president of India awardee Shirin Dhabhar, along with ‘World For All’ animal welfare NGO and few independent rescuers. thePack.in team hopes to leverage the success of this project to encourage other institutions to embark on similar programs as well. The company believes that such collaborative efforts between industry, welfare organizations, pet care experts, and pet lovers can be part of a broader solution to the issue of street dog population management in India, by creating public awareness about the potential of indie dogs.

thePack.in aims to come up with more such metamorphic initiatives in the future while continuing the core business of democratizing access to pet care information in the country. The company has 5000+ active users on the platform as of June, 2023.

About thePack.in

thePack.in is a pet education startup dedicated to helping Indian pet owners live happier lives with their pets. We provide comprehensive and interactive learning experiences for parents through expert driven consultations, workshops and content and aim to be the go-to platform when they face challenges at home with their pets. Since starting up in Nov 2020, thePack.in has directly interacted with and helped over 5000+ pet parents and 2000+ dogs in their journey to live happier lives together. The team houses some of India’s most qualified experts that comes with a collective experience of 50+ years of working with dogs.