Thinking Point
Achala Misra
They are malicious and bite/injure! They can kill! They defecate on our doorsteps. Such complaints are generally from people who look at dogs as if they have a brain like a human’s. Little do they know that dogs do not think like man, nor use their conscience. They do not kill or injure or defecate on a doorstep intentionally. They are simply trying to survive in extremely adverse conditions and react only when pushed to the wall. They suffer hunger, fear and abuse, and driven to starvation, they eat filth and even used and discarded sanitary napkins. Even felines and other carnivores do not survive on human kills, and attacks are by chance or incidental. It is more so with street dogs, commonly referred to as strays. Stray dogs are sometimes defensive because they are afraid. Children may not understand this and may meddle with them, triggering aggression. Besides, even if one dog is aberrant, should the entire community be carted off to the moon?
So, even as the anti-dog squad is busy calling upon civic bodies to implement in their respective areas the Supreme Court's recent order to remove stray dogs from Delhi-NCR and house them in shelters, animal activists are aghast. There is widespread criticism and furore among animal lovers and activists. There is a kind of national debate raging over the issue. The order, which mandates the relocation of all stray dogs within eight weeks, is being met with resistance due to concerns about its feasibility, ethical implications, and potential violation of existing animal birth control laws.
The SC passed the order after taking suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. In a recent case, a six-year-old girl was bitten by a stray dog and rushed for post-rabies treatment. However, later her condition deteriorated and she died on July 26. Animal lovers say the order prioritises public safety concerns, particularly the risk of dog bites and rabies, but critics argue it prioritises this over the welfare of the animals. Concerns have been raised about the lack of sufficient shelters and resources to accommodate the large number of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. Animal welfare organizations argue that relocating dogs disrupts existing rabies control programmes, including sterilisation and vaccination efforts and could lead to the "vacuum effect," where new, unvaccinated dogs move into the area. Some see the order as violating the Animal Birth Control Rules 2003, which prioritise in-situ sterilisation and vaccination. According to activists, the forced removal and caging of dogs is inhumane and disregards the dogs' well-being. The impact is such that not only animal welfare organisations like PETA India, FIAPO and PFA but even Bollywood celebrities like Jahnvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan are decrying the order, calling it "unscientific" and harmful to animal welfare.
Animal rights activist and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi was the first to strongly criticise the SC order on August 11. She said the directive was "impractical", "financially unviable," and "potentially harmful" to the region's ecological balance. To note, the apex court had called the stray dog menace "extremely grim" and ordered the Delhi government and civic bodies to pick up strays from all localities and keep them in animal shelters. The court had also prohibited re-release of the strays and warned of strict action against anyone obstructing the drive. Maneka rightly pointed out that the scale of the task was gigantic, so that it would be practically "unworkable".
“You have three lakh dogs in Delhi. To get them all off the roads, you'll have to make 3,000 pounds, each with drainage, water, a shed, a kitchen, and a watchman. That will cost about Rs 15,000 crore. Does Delhi have Rs 15,000 crore for this?" she told the media. Gandhi added that Rs 5 crore a week would be needed to feed the impounded dogs, and asked if that kind of a fund was available. Gandhi alleged the case was taken up "for absolutely no reason" based on a fake newspaper report of dogs attacking a girl who later died "unfortunately, of meningitis, as her parents have confirmed". She suggested the order might have been an outcome of "anger" without considering feasibility. Questioning the legality of the ruling, Maneka noted that just a month ago, a different Supreme Court bench had passed a "balanced judgment" on the same issue.
Actor Jahnvi Kapoor wrote on Instagram: “They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat… But these aren’t just ‘stray dogs’. They’re the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit. The silent night guards for shopkeepers. The wagging tails that welcome children home from school. They’re the warmth in a cold, uncaring city. Yes, there are issues, bites, safety concerns, but caging an entire community is not a solution; it’s an erasure. What’s truly needed? Large-scale sterilisation programmes, regular vaccination drives, designated community feeding areas, and proper adoption efforts. Not punishment. Not imprisonment. A society that cannot protect its voiceless is one that is losing its soul. Today it’s the dogs. Tomorrow... who will it be? Raise your voice, because they don’t have one.”
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada said on X: "I read this as a death sentence for all dogs. People abandon Huskies, Labradors, and German Shepherds after breeding them to exhaustion in India. ‘Shelters’, indeed! Since dogs are considered the vehicle of Lord Kala Bhairava, may He intervene." Filmmaker Siddharth Anand said: "There’s simply no compassion left. Who will ensure they’re fed in those shelters? At least on the streets, some kind-hearted souls still feed these voiceless beings. In shelters, they’ll starve. This is a death warrant. Someone, please start a petition. We must stop this genocide. I stand with you!" Actor Adivi Sesh said: "As a citizen who respects both the letter and the spirit of the law, I am deeply disturbed by the recent order calling for the mass confinement of street dogs in Delhi-NCR. This measure not only flouts our legal responsibilities but also betrays the compassionate principles that India is meant to uphold."
Varun Dhawan, Varun Grover and Vir Das also spoke out on social media against the order, calling it a death warrant. "Communities think of neighbourhood dogs as family, and the displacement and jailing of dogs is not scientific and has NEVER worked. Per a population survey conducted in 2022-23, Delhi has around 10 lakh community dogs, with less than half sterilised. Forced removal of some 10 lakh community dogs from Delhi's streets will cause uproar in communities that care deeply for them and chaos and suffering for the dogs on a large scale. It will also ultimately do nothing to curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent dog bite incidents," said a statement from PETA India. "Instead of wasting time, effort, and public resources on ineffective and inhumane displacement drives, an effective sterilisation program is still the solution and urgent need. Other important efforts would include a closure of illegal pet shops and breeders that contribute to animal abandonment, and encouraging the public to take in a dog in need from an animal shelter or the street," the statement said.
Activists also said the SC order contradicted the Animal Welfare Board of India’s advisory in 2022, which clearly stated that stray dogs should not be relocated. “The Supreme Court has, in various orders, specifically mentioned that relocation of dogs cannot be permitted. The Municipal Corporations need to implement the ABC and Anti Rabies Program jointly,” the AWBI advisory issued on December 7, 2022 had stated. “All the RWAs and citizens of India are requested not to take any kind of adverse action against the feeders of dogs, nor to relocate or resort to poisoning of dogs or other atrocities which is against the law of the land,” it had further said.
An animal lover in Lucknow said: “I feel safe in venturing out on the streets even during night hours in case of urgency because there are street dogs (please don't use the term 'stray' for them because they belong to the area in which they stay)! The ones in my area recognize me and protect me. Even in the dark, they won't attack me because I never ever tease them. I hail them like I would a friendly neighbour. It is not necessary that I feed them regularly for them to recognize me and stay friendly around me. But they know whenever they can't find food elsewhere, they can come to me. Yes, they frequent my gate and my pets let me know that their 'friend(s)' have come, so I must provide them 'refreshments'. I treat them to the same kibble I feed my pets- no discrimination. Some of my neighbours feed them roti, bread or biscuits - as per availability- and the dogs make no discrimination either in consuming whatever is provided with gratitude or in showing friendliness to all residents in our area. Night walkers even find it comforting if a street dog trails them out of good intentions. I feel safe inside my home at night because there are street dogs outside! Yes, they guard the area and will not let any suspicious person lurk. If unknown person or persons roam an area during night hours and the dogs believe it is their duty to protect their territory -and our colony/locality- is there something wrong with that? If they bark and chase suspicious people -mostly on bikes- aren't they doing what a night guard should be doing- and, for that matter, policemen should be doing? They are not a menace, but a boon. Stray cases of dog bites cannot taint the entire community black! We don't even try to get into the reason for their behaviour! Does a rapist make all men rapists, a murderer all people murderers, or a cheat all people cheats? No? Then why should all street dogs be punished for a few? There are poor people who sleep on pavements because they are homeless. Likewise, these animals have no homes. They also have a right to life and living space. If their numbers are rising, the authorities are at fault. Where are all the funds for their annual sterilisation and vaccination going? Why is no accountability being fixed? If honest sterilisation drives were done over the years, there would hardly be any street dog. Instead, everywhere you can find litters (puppies). It means corruption, and the corrupt should be sent to rehabilitation centres! If all street dogs are rounded up, we will be the biggest losers. The poor souls will be doomed to slow, painful, hungry, thirsty, anxious, slow demise. . . And we humans will be cursed forever! (In any case, how impractical it would be, given the past 'performance' of shelters and the ghotalas (scams) they are super capable of. When they don't spare cows in shelters, do you think any of them would think twice about poor dogs, and that too in such large numbers? I support the right to life and dignity for these friends of mankind.”
Another animal-lover from Agra said: “Come to that, monkeys are bigger marauders. They bite, attack and injure, and several deaths have taken place due to this. Even visitors to the Taj Mahal are not safe. What has been done to pack them off to shelters? Dogs are much harmless and loyal in comparison. They should not be sent to pounds.” Some activists also said it would be better to cull the entire dog population instead of giving the hapless creatures a slow, torturous death.
Way forward
As per animal activists, large-scale sterilisation programmes, regular vaccination drives, designated community feeding areas, and proper adoption efforts were needed to manage street dogs. People who care for street dogs should find like-minded compatriots and create a kind of organisation to feed, neuter, and medically support strays and try for their adoption. Street dogs may not be of special breeds, but this does not mean they do not deserve to be loved.
A ray of hope- An update till going to Press
The matter was brought to BR Gavai's bench on the morning of Aug 13, with an earlier court order prohibiting the relocation or killing of stray dogs and adherence to existing laws and regulations on their treatment. “I will look into this,” the Chief Justice said, offering a glimmer of hope to scores of animal lovers. Later, hearing petitions challenging the Supreme Court order to round up all stray dogs in Delhi NCR and move them to shelter homes, another bench of the top court on Aug 14 asked why authorities in several areas started picking up the animals even before the earlier order became public. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice NV Anjaria heard the matter. The court came down heavily on civic authorities, stating that Parliament had framed rules and laws, but they were not implemented. "On one hand, humans are suffering, and on the other hand, the animal lovers are here," Justice Nath said. The court reserved its order.
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