Cats and dogs have been at the center of my world forever, so when I met Joseph, I couldn't not get involved.

In early May, during a work trip to India, I came across a dog in very bad shape at the Mumbai's airport's T2 departures terminal. A man in a wheelchair, with a boy pushing a cart full of rice and chicken beside him, approached me and explained that he feeds that dog — and all 35 dogs living at the terminal.

That man is Joseph. He'd been struggling to get help for the older dog I'd seen, whom we now call Senior Citizen. I promised to help, and since then, Senior Citizen has been treated for tick fever, anemia, and his many open sores — and is now thriving.

Joseph has been caring for these animals almost entirely on his own for the past five years, despite being paraplegic himself with limited dexterity in his arms. But his salary doesn't come anywhere close covering the cost of caring for so many animals.

This is where two trusted friends and I became involved to help — Vyal, a Mumbai-based dog dad connected to the local animal care community, and Rupal, a veterinarian originally from India who now lime me lives in Vienna — became involved to help. Since meeting Joseph, in addition to providing medical help for Senior Citizen, we've also vaccinated all 35 dogs with anti-rabies and 9-in-1 vaccines (the latter protects dogs from the deadliest viral diseases facing street dogs in India, including parvovirus and distemper).

But the needs are ongoing. One dog, Moti, has thyroid disease, weighs 45 kg, and can barely walk. We've started her on medication but she is not responding as we'd hoped. A result of her poor health, excess weight, and the recent monsoon season, she developed a serious ruptured abscess on her chest, which required medical treatment followed by paid foster care. Her situation is just one example of the emergency costs that come up regularly.

Monthly budget:

Dog food: INR 15,000

Cat food: INR 5,000

Kitten food: INR 5,000

Gravy for Senior Citizen: INR 4,500

Weight-management food for Moti: INR 5,000

Joseph's caretaker (essential for Joseph, and for feeding the dogs and cats): INR 10,000

Emergency costs (transport, vet visits, foster care): INR 20,000

Total monthly need: INR 64,500

Target for 8 months: INR 516,000 (~EUR 4,700 or USD 5,400)

We're raising funds to cover the next 8 months of food, medical care, and emergency support — while we work toward setting up a proper not-for-profit for the long term. A little goes a long way, especially in India.

Beyond donations, we're also looking for:

Every donor will receive updates on the dogs and cats, including the incredible story of Raja, who escaped from the vet hospital not once by twice and found his own way back to the airport — a 15 km journey — to reunite with Joseph and his buddies. Incredible!

Thank you for caring.