
Dog lovers seek relaxations in curtailing strays
Expressing apprehensions over Tamil Nadu implementing a similar strategy against strays, the protesters said that animal birth control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) drives are sufficient to reduce the stray dog population.
"Just because of a few dog bite incidents, it is not right for us to punish all dogs. Aggressive dogs can be selectively removed from roads and treated by the local body. Locking all street dogs in a shelter is not practical and cannot be a wise move," Ajay Barath, vice president, People for Animals, Trichy said.
Holding placards, the protesters, including women, said that people must come forward to adopt community dogs instead of spending on exotic bred dogs. Stating that there are provisions for initiating mercy killing for rabies infected stray dogs, the protesters claimed that restricting the movement of community dogs within a shelter will be like lodging everyone in prison for the criminal offences committed by a few.
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Demanding sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs for co-existence, the protesters sought a ban on commercial breeding of exotic dog species to promote community dogs as pets. Reacting to questions on stray dogs chasing and biting commuters on roads, the protesters claimed that canines cause disruptions only if they were provoked by humans.
They also expressed hope that protests organised by dog lovers across the country may tone down the stance of the judiciary in handling stray dogs.
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