Bhubaneswar, 29th January 2017 (OdishaLIVE Bureau): Animal Welfare Trust Ekamra – Odisha (AWTE) organized the very first ‘Shelter Animal Adoption Drive’ to encourage the people of Bhubaneswar to adopt an Indian Pariah from streets/shelter instead of buying pedigree dogs from puppy mills/pet stores.
Each year hundreds and thousands of people find a devoted housemate at their local shelter. 
Nothing says ‘Welcome Home’ like a wagging tail and a pair of warm brown eyes. AWTE encourages citizens to “Make Adoption Your First Option”. Whether you are a fastidious housekeeper or a more casual one, ATWE’s volunteers will help you select a suitable canine for your lifestyle preferences.
This event was an attempt by AWTE to raise awareness regarding the merits of adopting a shelter/street animal. The event saw decent footfall. The crowd was very friendly and interactive. They got with them one fully grown Indian Pariah, one German Spitz and four puppies, all abandoned/rescued, to the Adoption Stall at Shaheed Nagar so people could spend some quality time with them. All of their other animals were back in the shelter but they had carried with them the pet profiles of those animals. The event started at 10 in the morning and went up till 7 in the evening.
They interacted with the people of Bhubaneswar to know their views on animal cruelty and its ugly side. They also showed people the bright side of being a parent to an animal. Along with that, they tried to educate people on how to react when witnessing a wounded animal on the street. The event turned out to be a success with few families coming forward to adopt animals from their shelter. They look forward to organising many more related events at various locations in Bhubaneswar to make the city a better home for animals.