Please join is for this special event at DDO with guest lecturer Kapil Patwardan on 10/3/26!
Many people assume that the ideal life for every dog is a human home, and that dogs living on the streets experience lives defined by suffering. But the reality of free-living dogs is far more complex.
Through stories, research, and observations from the streets of India, this photo-based seminar invites participants to explore a different perspective on dog welfare, human intervention, and coexistence. Rather than viewing street dogs only through the lens of what they lack, we will examine who they are as individuals — how they navigate their environments, make choices, build relationships, and participate in the communities around them.
Kapil will take participants into the everyday world of India’s street dogs (Indies): their social lives, their relationships with people, other dogs, cows, birds, monkeys, and the many species they share their neighborhoods with. We will explore how these dogs are not passive recipients of human care, but active agents shaping and responding to the world around them.
At its heart, this seminar asks a deeper question: how well do we truly understand another species, and what changes when we begin to see dogs not only as companions or dependent beings, but as individuals with their own ways of living, communicating, and experiencing the world?
About Kapil Patwardhan
Kapil Patwardhan is a dog behavior specialist and researcher from Pune, India, dedicated to learning from the free-living dogs of India and helping others see them through a more empathetic lens. A Family Dog Mediator and graduate of the Nordic Education Centre for Dog Trainers, Kapil works across dog welfare, research, education, and community outreach.
Through his volunteer work, Kapil supports local organizations with feeding, medical care, sterilization, and adoption efforts for Indies in need. He has helped more than a thousand families successfully welcome dogs into their homes. As a researcher, he collaborates with universities internationally, and through dog study tours in India and Sri Lanka, he helps professionals from around the world learn directly from free-living dogs.
A published author and educator, Kapil also creates stories and workshops that foster empathy, kindness, and better understanding between humans and dogs. For him, protecting the Indies is not only a professional focus — it is a lifelong commitment to helping humans and dogs coexist with greater respect.
REGISTER HERE – All proceeds go back to help with the veterinary care and feeding of the street dogs of India
Kapil’s lecture will be approximately 1 hour but please feel free to stay for mingling and discussions!