A very interesting quote by Josh Billings, says, "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." And in fact, it is true, and has been the truth for millennia of human history. One of the most important transitions in human history was the domestication of animals, which began with the long-term association between wolves and hunter–gatherers more than 17,500 years ago. The dog was the first species and the only large carnivore to have been domesticated. And since then, dogs have been one of the most loyal allies to humankind, whether as a companion or a house-guard. The stories of loyal dogs have been around for centuries now, but some stories like that one about Hachiko; have forged a remarkable impression about dogs in the human psyche. In Japan, Hachiko's story was used to inspire students to be loyal to their family, loved ones and their country. At the same time, there are several reports from around the world about how dogs have saved people from mortal dangers, including saving countless girls and women from rapists and perverts. A human being might forget your kindness, but a dog never does. Our canine friends are so pure from their hearts that if you give them even one cookie, they remember your kindness for a long time. So how can someone be cruel and brutal to such innocent animals ? Unfortunately, there have been countless reports of how human beings can be openly cruel to our canine friends and even puppies. Criminology and psychology have often pointed out a very crucial detail into the past lives of psychopaths and serial killers; they usually start their cruelty on innocent animals, especially dogs. So the question we need to ask ourselves; what if some of these psychopaths exist among us now, posing as normal human beings ? What if they are roaming in your very university campus, working as staffs or in other important positions ? This takes us to East Delta University (EDU), a prestigious private university in Chittagong city, where serious allegations of abusing dogs have been reported. Today, we also take a look on the students' group who have been advocating and defending our canine friends from abuse and harm. 

The university campus is filled with beautiful lush greenery, garden and trees; attracting not only humans, but also other animals who find sanctuary here. Like almost all places in Bangladesh, the university campus have also become home to street dogs and cats, who are living here for years. While our canine friends survive on food scraps left by students or by the university's canteen, one of the EDUvian students—Awsaf Islam, has been taking care of these campus dogs since 2024. A musician by passion and compassionate by heart, he has been one of the students who have refused to let these dogs go hungry. He often brings food for them, cares for them. All of the campus dogs would rush to him, every time he calls them by their names. 

However, Awsaf isn't the only one out here. Along with Awsaf, there are few other students who have been taking care of dogs. We talked with Aunonya Musharrat and S.T (not using her real name, as she requested sort of anonymity) who have also been instrumental in the initiative of taking care of our canine friends.

This was our conversation with Aunonya, where she shared her life stories surrounding her, and with her canine and feline friends.

Us : Since when are you in this mission of helping dogs and cats ? 

Aunonya : Animals, mostly the dogs and cats from my area, were the first ever friends I made in life. I remember struggling to socialize at school. I would come home to see all the dogs waiting for me with their wiggling tails. As a socially anxious person, I spent most of my childhood with homework and them. When I started college, I met people from Animal Welfare and started learning basic first aid treatments. I started small, and gradually gathered up the courage and emotional energy to take upon complicated cases which most rescuers would label as "hopeless". My goal is and always will be to try and give them the sense of comfort and affection they so desperately crave and deserve before they leave— I try to ensure they are at ease when they pass. 

Us : Do you have pets yourself ?

Aunonya : Yes ! I adopted five adorable cats over the span of four years. Two of them, Cujo and Komla, are paralyzed from their waist below. When I first brought Cujo home, a CNG (taxi) drove over his back causing irreparable damage to his spinal cord. Every rescuer I contacted suggested I get him euthanized unless I want a lifetime of misery for him, since he would never walk again and would have issues with his bowel movement for the rest of his life. On top of that, I got kicked out of my house for bringing yet another "sick" cat in. Without a penny to my name or any second thought, I got on a bus, went to Dhaka to stay at a friend's place, and started collecting funds online for Cujo's spinal cord surgery. Eventually my parents came around and asked me to return home. Safe to say Cujo's surgery went exceptionally well, and he is now the troop leader who runs so fast his hind legs almost go flying for a second when he's drifting through the house. 

Us : What challenges do you face in this mission ? 

Aunonya : Being a woman in Bangladesh, working with stray animals was never easy. I've had to face conservative approaches ranging from "You know what you are doing is Haram, right?" to poisoning my dogs simply out of spite by the local men. Dealing with my parents' mindset of "What will the people say" was also hard during my teens. I would lie about going to rescue cases, save up my pocket money to afford their medicines and treatment and what not. I did lose my will for a while after the cruelty of my kind got out of hand, but I jumped back in when I realized they need me to keep standing up for them. 

Us : Alongside these tragic challenges, do you also face harassment from people for doing all these ? 

Aunonya : Very often, and it always starts with someone walking up to me curious about my last name. Once they figure out I belong to a Muslim family, they start with their lectures which, most of the times, would lead to threats. I have constantly been spied on, stalked, threatened, and harassed throughout the journey. When I first started gathering up a team and working for the animals of my own university, I faced backlash from a lot of the students and authorities. I was laughed at and mocked by the authorities when I approached them with the plan for a smooth and comfortable coexistence of both the animals and the students on campus. My constant persistence helped me ensure their safety when the authorities were about to evict all the animals from campus. Then came the harassment from some of the unruly students. They would leave anonymous comments verbally abusing me and the team, bring up our personal lives in university Facebook groups and try to set a certain narrative to distract people from the important issues at hand. But my team and I pushed through. I could not have done it without these people. I cannot but mention Bushra, Shadhin, S.T, and Mahir bhai (brother) for their immense efforts and contributions to building a well-functioning team. Recently many more people signed up to volunteer for the animals. I could not be more grateful for the support and help I receive from this team on a daily basis. The animals are now well fed and taken care of during injuries and illnesses. It truly makes my heart full seeing Miu, the mother of five beautiful puppies and my first friend from campus, finally at peace. She lost all her previous children due to lack of food and treatment. I believe I am finally giving back the support and comfort she provided me with during my freshman year. 

Us : You have to face so much challenges and harassment, yet none of it stops you. So what keeps you go ahead ? What was your motivation in doing this ? 

Aunonya : The promises I made to my paw friends along the way have always been my biggest motivation. Aoife, a beautiful puppy I lost to severe brain injury caused by an accident, brought me back to reality and pushed me to get back in the field. I promised her I would never give up on anyone, no matter how hard it gets. Tommy, my first dog from 2011, will forever remain my greatest strength. She was euthanized by the City Corporation during one of their mass stray dog culling missions. She had her collar on, which indicated she wasn't a stray, but she ran to help her stray friend who was captured by the authorities, and was labeled "violent" and snatched from us before I could get back home from school. I promised to always try and be as good and loyal of a friend as Tommy, standing up and fighting for the only consistent friends I've had throughout my life. The whole process of meeting a new friend, getting to know them, understanding their fears and assuring them with love and warmth, slowly gaining their trust, and eventually seeing them get better and happier— is what pushes me to get out of my comfort zone every day and stand my ground. I hope to see kindness spread across the world as contagiously as cruelty has made its space around us, one step at a time. 

Aunonya's kindness and motivation to care for our canine friends extends beyond the regular days of her university life. When vacations start and the university remains empty, Aunonya would still visit them at the campus. But these dogs have another human friend, who they trust. She is S.T, who is part of the students' group caring for these dogs. If dogs break into fighting among themselves, she would stop that fight from escalating. During our conversation with her, she repeatedly mentioned that she is caring for our canine friends out of her genuine love for them, and not for spotlight. She requested anonymity, emphasizing that the dogs should be the main priority of our coverage. We asked S.T about her motivations, challenges and other issues that she faces. S.T has no pets of her own, yet she has grown a fondness for dogs and cats, when she was growing up in her hometown of Rangamati and looking after strays with her cousins. In university life, she stepped into taking care of these strays, when campus dog known by the name Miu—gave birth to her last litter. For her, the biggest challenge is getting people to realize that these dogs and cats have just as much right to this world as we humans do. "Another massive challenge is dealing with the heartbreak when an animal gets hurt. It’s just incredibly painful to watch them suffer", she told us in the interview. She also told us that she faces mostly verbal harassment, due to taking care of our canine friends.

Us : There have been several allegations against the EDU Authority that they have been mistreating the dogs. So since you people are taking care of them, has the EDU Authority ever tried to "attack" you people for this ? 

S.T : No. But they really don’t want the dogs or cats on campus, so they’re constantly trying to get rid of them. They even made this completely inhumane decision to build a tiny shelter that can barely fit a small child. Our dogs deserve to live freely, not locked up in a cage. 

Us : So, has there ever been issues with food, medicines and other essentials for dogs ? 

S.T : Definitely. Sometimes it gets really tough to cover the costs of food and medical treatments all by ourselves, as me and my friends are still students. That's why we try to raise donations, so we can give them the proper food and care they actually deserve. 

Us : All these challenges and obstacles, yet at the end of the day, what was your motivation in doing this ? 

S.T : I just want every single animal to live a happy life until their very last breath. Plus, seeing these babies happy and thriving is just so therapeutic for me. 

And indeed they raised a fundraising campaign in mid-May, 2026. They were raising funds to finance for medical treatment for our canine friends—as some were sick, and had injuries. Among their small and humble group, it was quite clear that Awsaf was among the leading figures. "Awsaf has been of a great help to our cause. Previously, when university remained closed on vacations or holidays, we had to buy food from hotels to feed them. But now, Awsaf brings homemade food for them, almost everyday", Aunonya told us.

Amidst all these compassion, a dark crisis was unfolding in the campus area. The EDU Authority has been alleged by these students, of abusing and brutalizing these innocent dogs. But the authority maintains the position that they simply want to relocate the dogs somewhere else, and denied allegations of abuse. In our conversation with Awsaf, he said, "There are total five dogs in our campus. In 2024, when I got admitted here, there were only two dogs here. One of them was a mother and gave birth to four puppies. From them, probably one puppy was killed or thrown away somewhere far by the authority. We have no evidence unfortunately, but we are pretty sure. The rest three are also under target by the authority, who are trying to either kill them or throw them away somewhere far. They are 7 months old now. And that is when Aunonya apu, S.T, Mahir bhaiya protested and even wrote applications to the vice chairman sir, requesting them to not go ahead with their plan. I joined recently. Because of our persistence and protests, the authority hasn't been able to go ahead with their plan".

However, one particular individual has come up in the reports and witness testimonies, most of the times. That individual is Selim, the head of security team for the university campus. He is known in the campus for roaming around in his classic white shirt. He has been alleged to be the torturer of the dogs; beating and inflicting physical pain on them, including the puppies. According to the reports, in one particular incident—he allegedly tied a puppy to a nearby construction site for two days. The puppy cried and screamed, and eventually Aunonya and others successfully freed the puppy. However, the puppy was left severely traumatized from the incident. Now, whether Selim is acting on his own as an 'extrajudicial executor' or under orders from higher ups, has not been confirmed. Unfortunately, no photographic or videographic evidence exists of Selim's brutality on these innocent dogs. However, there are several witnesses and insiders who confirm his actions. Despite the lack of evidence, this passionate group is willing to take legal action if anything happens further. 

What could be the most bizarre aspect about this whole issue is that, there have been no credible reports of any student or person being bitten by any of these dogs and no attacks on any human, from our canine friends have ever been documented. Also, the dogs have already been vaccinated by Awsaf and his group, so no chances of rabies or other dangerous diseases remain. Yet, what could be the logic behind relocating them under the name of safety ? Is it solely because dogs roaming the campus, do not fit the aesthetic criteria of this university ? The sheer hypocrisy is having ducks, birds, hens and even fishes in one of the campus' garden and giving them a safe sanctuary, while mistreating the campus' stray dogs—animals who have been humanity's loyal allies for millennium. This reminds us again of another quote by Friedrich Nietzsche : "If you kill a cockroach you are a hero; if you kill a butterfly you are evil. Morals have aesthetic standards". Isn't this what the authorities have been preaching indirectly : a twisted version of what they understand by morality ? 

At the end of the day, these students (Awsaf, Aunonya, S.T, Mahir and others), and even the ordinary students who donated for the medical treatment of our canine friends, have proven us that the righteous always triumphs. And these students are the righteous ones, for standing up for these animals who can't speak about their own woes.

Whether it be Gautama Buddha, or Jesus Christ or the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)—all these great men and prophets have preached kindness and compassion towards animals, because they are the creation of God. Yet, in a country, where people casually claim themselves to be "believers of God" are the same ones doing the oppression on these innocent animals. Brutality on these dogs are not only a betrayal of our faiths and morality, but also a betrayal to the spirits of July Uprising. Bangladesh witnessed the historic uprising in July-August 2024 that overthrew the autocratic Hasina regime. Many of the brave-hearts who lost their lives in the uprising, had been advocating for the cause of animal rights and welfare. Among them, a prominent martyr was Tahir Zaman Priyo, who had been an animal rights' activist when he was alive. When this country emerged victorious after the uprising, it promised to itself that, in this new Bangladesh—rights of every living being, whether human or animal will be protected. Yet, reports of animal rights' abuses from a prestigious university that was supposed to be part of building a new Bangladesh, is disheartening. However, this isn't just one university, similar reports have come from across the country. Universities and educational institutions are the places where a student—not only achieves an academic degree, but also learns what it is to be truly a human being. And it starts with treating the animals around him/her with compassion and kindness, and it is essential that the educational institutions facilitate it.

These fierce students have once again taught us that humanity and compassion can thrive even in the most challenging places, and that loyalty goes both ways. Awsaf also told us that he is willing to take full responsibility of paying compensation or providing other medical costs, if anyone ever gets bitten by one of these dogs. This further proves how much responsible and passionate he and his group is, about our canine friends. It's no wonder that these dogs are extremely loyal to them. They found guardianship, safety and companionship under their merciful shadows.