Dr. Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
The stray dog population in cities has increased dramatically and is becoming a serious threat to public safety. Children are bitten on their way to school, senior citizens are afraid to take morning walks, and two-wheeler riders get injured when dogs chase them. This is no longer a minor nuisance — it is a public health and safety emergency that demands urgent, lawful action. To control the street dog population, it is incumbent upon Municipal Corporations to implement sterilization and immunization programs in partnership with animal welfare organizations, NGOs, and responsible private individuals. The law is unambiguous: only humane, government-approved methods of Animal Birth Control are permitted. Culling is illegal. The Supreme Court has directed that stray dogs must be released back into their original territories after sterilization, deworming, and vaccination. Only dogs confirmed to be rabid or displaying unprovoked aggressive behavior may be housed in separate shelters. Killing street dogs does not work. When one pack is removed, another moves in to exploit the available food source. Globally, the only proven method to reduce numbers is systematic sterilization of at least 70% of dogs in an area, after which the population stabilizes and then declines within three to four years. Some people imagine we have a “right” to remove animals without regard for our moral responsibility toward creatures that share this planet with us. But we are a nation that believes in ahimsa and shuns cruelty.
The earth is not for humans alone. It is ironic that many who find spitting and urinating in public spaces acceptable cannot tolerate harmless species trying to survive. Most strays lead miserable lives, scavenging rotten food, starving, and suffering from painful, debilitating diseases like mange. Some of these diseases, including rabies, are communicable to humans. Hungry and territorial, many stray dogs chase and bark at people and children, creating fear and risk. The root cause of the stray dog menace is our garbage, not the dogs’ nature. The problem is worst in areas where food waste is dumped on roadsides. Therefore, the first step is waste management, not dog catching. Municipal authorities must clean streets daily to make them rubbish-free, penalize open dumping of food waste, and encourage door-to-door collection of wet waste instead of roadside bins that become 24×7 feeding stations for dogs. In line with Supreme Court directives, municipalities must create designated feeding areas in each ward and prohibit feeding on public streets to prevent packs from forming near schools, markets, and hospitals. Dedicated helplines must be established for reporting bites, aggressive dogs, and violations of feeding rules, and action must be taken against individuals or NGOs who defy the directive.
Every sterilized dog should be ear-notched and tagged. NGOs must submit monthly data on dogs caught, operated, vaccinated, and released, and third-party audits should verify outcomes. Resident Welfare Associations should appoint Dog Welfare Coordinators to identify unsterilized dogs, monitor feeding points, and report sick animals. Public awareness campaigns must teach children not to tease dogs and adults not to abandon pets, as 80% of “strays” are abandoned pets or their pups. Relocating dogs to “far away areas” is both illegal and ineffective; the only way to control rabies is mass vaccination of dogs where they live, with a target of 70% coverage in each zone annually. Municipal Commissioners should publish quarterly reports on ABC targets, budgets, and bite cases. Small, hygienic shelters must be built only for rabid, terminally ill, or proven-dangerous dogs — not as dumping grounds for every complaint. Cruelty must be punished on both sides: dog catchers who use brutal methods and individuals who poison or beat dogs. Dogs have lived with humans for eternity. They warn neighborhoods about intruders at night. As pets they are wonderful; as unmanaged strays they become a threat. But the answer is not hate — it is management. Stray dogs are part of our urban environment and teach valuable lessons in friendship, co-operation, and loyalty to children and adults alike. They offer unconditional love that humans often lack. There are countless examples of strays giving up their lives for their caretakers. Other creatures are not here for our selfishness. We must learn co-existence with compassion. A fistful of rice given regularly ensures a dog will guard your lane, not harm you.
The stray dog menace is a grave urban problem, but it is solvable. The solution is not cruelty or mass culling, which is both illegal and ineffective. The solution is scientific, humane, and legally mandated: mass sterilization, mass vaccination, disciplined waste management, designated feeding, community participation, and strict accountability from Municipal authorities. Public safety and animal welfare are not opposing goals — they are achieved together. If the laws favor the street dogs’ right to live, then the Government must ensure those laws are implemented effectively to safeguard citizens. We must act immediately, seriously, and with both sense and humanity. Only when we clean our streets and manage our compassion can we claim to be a truly civilized and loving nation. Dogs can remain man’s best friend — if we care for them the right way.
(The author is a freelance journalist, writer & cartoonist)
