Know Your Pooch
VK Joshi
The writer is former director, GSI, and an avid animal lover. His understanding of man's best friend comes from over six decades of dedicated association with it
These days, the newspapers and other media are full of cases of dog bites and also fights among human beings for and against dogs. So, I thought of sharing some of my views and ideas about the hot topic.
According to various reports from the Animal Welfare Board and NGOs, India is home to an estimated 15–20 crore dogs, out of which more than six crores are strays. While dogs are often called “man’s best friend,” the growing population of street dogs in urban and rural areas has turned into a serious public safety and health concern. Stray dogs in India evoke mixed emotions—sympathy from animal lovers, fear from those attacked, and frustration among authorities trying to manage the situation. The situation has reached such a state that people in residential societies are often seen fighting like dogs! Many times, the Police have to intervene.
This problem is not just about animals; it’s a public health, urban planning, and social responsibility issue. Addressing it requires a balanced approach—protecting both human safety and animal welfare.
The scale of the problem
Stray dogs are found almost everywhere in India—on city streets, village roads, marketplaces, and near schools and even inside the hospitals. The issue becomes particularly alarming when they form aggressive packs, chase vehicles, or attack pedestrians, children and the oldies. Dogs are pack animals and hunting is their instinct. They chase vehicles, especially the two-wheelers, presuming them to be their prey, and in the process, often fatal accidents take place. They attack sometimes unprovoked. For example, a dog hiding under a car, chewing a bone, may attack you because it was threatened by your presence. Sometimes, children get scared when they see dogs chasing each other, and they start to run. This provokes the dogs to chase the children and attack them. Whatever the reason may be, being bitten by a dog on the street is a serious issue, even for a hardcore dog lover like me!
Some key statistics that underline the seriousness:
• Dog bites: According to government health data, India records over 1.5 to 2 million dog bite cases every year.
• Rabies deaths: WHO estimates that India accounts for around 36% of the world’s rabies deaths, with most cases linked to stray dog bites.
The problem has worsened in the last decade, partly due to ineffective sterilisation drives, unregulated garbage disposal, and legal complexities in handling stray animals.
Causes for the stray dog menace
1. Uncontrolled Breeding
Among the stray dogs, the females come to season once a year and, on average, produce five puppies. The sterilisation programme is ineffective. I have seen personally that the dog catchers from the Municipalities are inexperienced and or at least interested in catching the dogs. And the strays, too, are intelligent enough to escape and hide on seeing their vehicle. Without effective sterilisation programmes, the population grows exponentially. Usually, only the adult males are sterilised. This doesn’t solve the problem, because a dog can sniff a female dog in season from a distance of one kilometre. Hence, a pack of fresh males hunts such females and the outcome is more puppies. The problem can be sorted out easily if the female dogs are spayed. The Netherlands and other European countries have done this effectively.
The implementation of Animal Birth Control and returning the stray dogs to the places from where they were picked for sterilisation has created a piquant situation. A dog may be sterilised and vaccinated as well, but for a man on the street, a dog bite means a full course of vaccination. Plus, the phobia of dog bites changes the psyche of such victims. Whereas, the dog lovers who have so far escaped the fangs feel pity for the strays and care for them.
2. Improper waste management
Dogs are carrion eaters and improper waste disposal gives them all the opportunity to thrive. The gated housing societies are heaven for strays because the waste management there is often not as good as it should be. In addition, the dog lovers who cannot keep dogs in their houses find the strays as ideal pets and feed them. They don’t ensure their vaccination of sterilisation and create safe feeding zones. This can unintentionally increase aggressive dog gatherings in residential areas.
3. Legal protection issues
Indian laws protect stray dogs from culling under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. This makes removal or relocation a legally sensitive issue, often causing conflict between residents and animal rights activists.
Impact on public health and safety
1. Rabies and other diseases
Rabies is almost 100% fatal once symptoms appear, and stray dogs are the primary carriers in India. Apart from rabies, stray dogs may carry skin infections, worms, and other zoonotic diseases.
2. Dog bite injuries
Dog attacks can cause severe injuries, especially to children. Aggressive packs near schools and playgrounds are a major concern.
3. Road safety hazards
Stray dogs often run across roads or chase vehicles, causing accidents, particularly at night.
4. Public fear and tension
In many localities, residents live in constant fear of dog attacks, and as already mentioned, it leads to social tension and disputes between feeders and non-feeders.
Existing measures and their gaps
The Indian government and municipal bodies have schemes to control stray dog populations, but gaps remain.
• Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme:
Designed to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs, then release them in the same area. However, funding shortages, limited infrastructure, and lack of trained personnel reduce its impact. Some NGOs have come up in Metros to assist the Municipal authorities. However, the problem of fear of getting bitten by a stray remains, irrespective of the fact whether the dog is vaccinated or not.
• public awareness campaigns:
Rabies awareness drives exist but often fail to reach rural and semi-urban populations where the risk is highest.
• Waste management initiatives:
Clean India campaigns have improved waste collection in some cities, but open dumps are still common.
The core issue is not the absence of laws or policies—it’s the lack of coordinated implementation, monitoring, and community involvement.
Possible solutions: A balanced and humane approach
1. Strengthen and expand sterilisation programmes
• Municipal bodies must increase the scale of sterilisation and vaccination drives, aiming for at least 70% coverage of stray dogs in each area—the threshold needed to control population growth. As already mentioned, sterilisation of female dogs will go a long way to control the dog population.
• Partner with NGOs, veterinary colleges, and private clinics for wider reach.
• Mobile sterilisation units can serve remote and rural areas.
2. Improve waste management
• Strictly enforce rules against open dumping of food waste.
• Set up covered garbage bins and ensure regular collection, especially near markets, restaurants, and residential colonies.
• Involve private waste management companies with performance-based contracts.
3. Regulated feeding zones
• Create designated feeding spots away from schools, playgrounds, and main roads.
• Encourage feeders to take responsibility for the dogs they feed—ensuring sterilisation, vaccination, and non-aggressive behaviour. The ardent dog lovers can engage professional dog trainers in the housing societies and the same strays can become an asset.
4. Public education and awareness
• Run mass awareness campaigns about rabies prevention, dog behaviour, and safe interaction with strays.
• Teach schoolchildren basic safety rules—like not provoking dogs, avoiding stray packs, and reporting bites immediately.
• Educate communities on the importance of sterilisation, over feeding alone.
5. Stronger coordination between stakeholders
• Municipal bodies, police, health departments, animal welfare groups, and residents must coordinate efforts.
• Create local “Stray Dog Management Committees” for problem-solving at the ward or panchayat level.
6. Adoption and shelter promotion
• Encourage adoption of vaccinated and sterilised street dogs through regular adoption drives.
• Build more animal shelters for aggressive or sick dogs that cannot be safely released.
• Promote responsible pet ownership—discouraging abandonment, which adds to stray populations.
• Conduct annual anti-rabies vaccination drives, ensuring visible tags or ear-notching for vaccinated dogs.
• WHO recommends mass dog vaccination as the most effective long-term rabies control strategy.
A humane, yet firm approach
It’s important to remember that stray dogs are not “the enemy”. They are a product of human negligence—poor waste management, uncontrolled breeding, and abandonment. A humane approach protects animals from cruelty while ensuring that humans, especially children, can move safely in public spaces. Countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Brazil have shown that a combination of mass sterilisation, vaccination, strict waste control, and public cooperation can significantly reduce stray dog populations in a few years. India can achieve similar success if it treats the issue as both a public health priority and an animal welfare challenge.
Conclusion
The stray dog menace in India is a complex problem, but not an unsolvable one. With coordinated action—combining sterilisation, vaccination, waste management, legal reforms, and public awareness—it is possible to reduce stray dog numbers and minimise attacks. The goal is to create an environment where humans and animals can coexist safely.
The solution requires commitment from government authorities, NGOs, and citizens alike. Compassion must be balanced with responsibility, and safety must go hand in hand with humane treatment. Only then can India move from a state of conflict over stray dogs to one of controlled, safe coexistence.
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