Loud barking that doesn’t let us sleep, chasing cars when we drive back home, sleeping in the middle of the road till we honk it away – stray dogs are yet another inconvenience that Indians know all too well. There are no confirmed statistics on the number of stray dogs in India (clearly, someone at the municipal corporation offices is not doing his job). However, the count is roughly estimated at 25 million. That’s a lot of hungry dogs scavenging for food and breeding puppies while they’re at it. The Indian government, thankfully, made it illegal to kill stray dogs in 2001. So all those who disagree, this is not a choice. Deal with it!
Mark Twain said, “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” However, not every Indian feels the same and that’s clearly reflected in our revulsion, even hostility, towards stray dogs. If that’s not bad enough, many of us don’t even spare the people who personally feed, sterilize, vaccinate and neuter these dogs. Our ignorance has time and again fuelled our disdain towards such good deeds because we feel these acts only add to the problem. But do they really?
Help Or Hurt?
Across Indian cities and towns, many such dog-lovers have faced the wrath of their neighbours and have had to fight battles to nurse the strays. You must have read stories on people such as Rinki Banerjee in Mumbai and Sonya Ghosh in New Delhi who have been harassed repeatedly for feeding stray dogs. I’m not an activist defending their cause. I’m just here to analyze the facts.
The bigger question here is – Are worries about such deeds increasing the stray problem warranted? Is feeding them really adding to the out-of-control situation already at hand? We are here to break the many myths about ‘civilians’ taking the matter into their own hands and its impact. Read on…for the answers might surprise you:
Myth 1: Stray dogs are there because no one gets rid of them.
Not true! Getting rid of them or killing them will not resolve the issue. The real reason for the existence of stray dogs, mainly the Indian pariah dog, is the abundance of garbage and slums in and around most Indian cities. The INDogs (a slang for Indian stray dogs) are traditionally scavengers and garbage provides a food source. Even if we kill them, more will find their way in or even worse, other animals (possibly rodents) will replace them. Remember, dogs keep rats and other rodents away!
Myth 2: If we feed them, they will never go away.
Agreed! But they will be fed, healthy and happy. Feeding the dogs will make them friendly towards the humans living in the area. In turn, they will not feel threatened and attack anyone. In fact, they develop a protective attitude and double up as extra security guards!
Myth 3: Bringing them back after sterilization does not solve the problem.
Actually, it does! Dogs are territorial in nature and sterilized dogs will not let unsterilized dogs enter their domain. Moreover, since they will no longer mate or multiply, their aggression will reduce which in turn will lead to less dogfights and bites. Female dogs, too, won’t be as fierce since there will be no pups to protect. Eventually, as they die of natural deaths, the population will decrease.
Myth 4: Stray dogs will bite you
Any dog will bite you if you attack or threaten it. Most strays will just ignore you if you let them be. Strays that are used to people feeding them and are sterilized tend to be less aggressive and non-violent.
Myth 5: Stray dogs spread rabies
Healthy vaccinated strays do not spread rabies, only rabid dogs do. The sterilization process also includes anti-rabies vaccination. So the next time someone in your neighbourhood gets a stray dog vaccinated, thank him or her instead of complaining!
Well, these are not stray thoughts…The solution actually lies in helping people who help stray dogs rather than fighting them. You may still disagree with me, but before you run off to complain about another dog-lover in your locality, here’s an important fact – There is no law that prohibits any person from feeding street animals in India. On the contrary, one can be held liable for committing an offence if one threatens or interferes with the efforts of such people. Think twice or better yet, if your fingers are itching to dial a number, call any of the many dog shelters or animal welfare organizations in your country. Their people will pick up the dogs, sterilize them and drop them back. Make your locality a safe one, filled with puppy love!
I hunted online and found this site: worldanimal.net. It features an exhaustive city-wise list. C’mon people, Dial-a-Dog instead of hurting one!
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