Opinion: Need To Protect Both Stray Dogs & Pedestrians From Cruelty

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No one is advocating cruelty towards dogs, but it must also be ensured that stray dogs don't maul pedestrians
Following media reports of a boy being mauled by a pack of stray dogs, the Supreme Court's two-member bench on August 11 suo motu ordered removal of stray dogs from Delhi's streets.
Predictably, the order attracted the ire of animal activists and the orchestrated campaign by them on social media, among others, made the apex court relent in favour of a three-member bench which is all set to hear the matter afresh from August 14.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) relented, apparently discarding the wishes of the judges who heard the matter in the run-up to the August 10 edict and read the Riot Act to those obstructing its execution.
As it is, Delhi has a couple of sterilisation centres, which are by no means rescue centers as known in the Western world, particularly in the US. To be sure, the national capital region is unequal to the gargantuan task of locating as many as two lakh stray dogs in animal centres, but there is no gainsaying the fact that stray dogs menace Indian streets. Only the squeamish would equate human lives with the lives of stray dogs and rationalise such equality with quixotic arguments like 'though they menace the streets, they also play the role of scavengers!"
Returning the sterilised dogs to streets is no answer as the only relief from such denouement would be they cannot multiply themselves. But they would continue to maul the unsuspecting passers-by. The entire USA is conspicuous by stray dogs. Most of the households have pets, usually dogs of various breeds and pedigrees. The owners are tasked with keeping them on leash while walking them and cleaning up their poops in keeping with the polluter pays principle. The masters wait for their pets to complete pooping and thereafter mop the nauseating excreta in a black plastic bag for eventual disposal into the nearest dustbin. BTW, they are loath to touch their own offsprings' excreta with diapers rescuing them from this disgusting and distasteful chore. In the state of Massachusetts, for example, owners constantly dread the prospect of their dogs being killed in the event of them biting someone the second time.
In contrast, in India even the domesticated pets pounce on unsuspecting people in the absence of tight leash.
The short point is no one is advocating cruelty towards dogs, but it must also be ensured that stray dogs don't maul pedestrians. The insane number of stray dogs across the country is thus a legacy issue, century-old callousness in belling the cat. So, the belated start made in Delhi, thanks to the SC initiative, has invited rebellion as any revolutionary, paradigm-changing law does. But can any sensible person allow dogs to roam the streets despite knowing sooner or later they are going to attack those who cross their paths or even an innocent passerby? Of course, there are people who rear them in their own self-interest without allowing them entry into their houses, lest they are messed up and ensure at least a monthly visit to the pet's store. For example, security guards of apartments lighten their vigil by allowing street dogs to take over in the nocturnal hours. Even house owners feed stray dogs so that they act as watchdogs without sullying their houses and unduly inflating their monthly grocery bills.
In the US, dog rescue centres house abandoned dogs. They are eventually handed over to those who want to adopt them. Since the number of abandoned dogs is few, they don't pose an insurmountable logistics issue as is being witnessed in Delhi in the wake of the avant-garde judgment of the Apex Court. But then every initiative meets with resistance and logistics issues. Therefore, till adequate number of rescue centres are built spanning decades, NGOs and animal lovers must come forward and adopt a stray dog or two. If they are not entirely altruistic, they can use such adopted stray dogs to breed healthy puppies. Dog breeding is a thriving industry. For some prized breeds, the going price is as much as $5,000 in the US. The animal welfare lobby in India can lobby for income tax incentives for the adopters cum breeders.
No civilised country can countenance cruelty to animals. In Switzerland, for example, those walking the dogs must adorn their necks with a red light, lest it is run down by a speeding car. But India has allowed stray dogs to swamp us. Willy-nilly, therefore, they must be culled after extensive campaign for their adoption by pet lovers and breeders.
This case arguably is an unfolding one, but it would be a litmus test for the three arms of our government. Any pussyfooting would project us as status quoists. Because if we get rid of stray dogs and mandate cleansing of poops of domesticated dogs by their masters for the nonce, we would have taken the first decisive step in cleaning up our environs. Concomitantly, we must also read the Riot Act to the spitters and litterers.
The writer is a senior columnist. He tweets @smurlidharan. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
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First Published:
August 18, 2025, 19:03 IST
News opinion Opinion: Need To Protect Both Stray Dogs & Pedestrians From Cruelty
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