Stray Dogs in India

You can't help but notice stray dogs in miserable condition on streets of India. Many stray dogs are mortally wounded and infected with dieses. It is hard to look over stay dogs and enjoy your stay in India.

Part of the problem is municipal corporation didn’t had authority to put down stray and abandoned dogs. Before 1994, Municipal Corporation was electrocuting the dogs to control population. This killing was stopped in 1994, when Municipal Corporation opted to sterilize the dogs. This policy looked very positive in terms of animal rights; however you have to consider rampant corruption prevalent in City Corporation.

BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation) for example, is expected to spend Rs 6 crores to sterilize dogs in year 2008 to 2009. In a country where cost of sterilization per dog isn’t high, one would expect good result. But current condition of stray dogs clearly shows increase in population. BMC haven’t addressed basic question of tagging sterilized vs non-sterilized dogs. How would one distinguish who’s who?

Recently, on December 19- 2008, High Court gave permission to killing of ‘nuisance’ stray dogs. The court says: Strays and abandoned dogs and cats who create public nuisance can be put down under the discretionary power granted to the civic chief. This judgment gave a blank check to civic chief to decide fate of any stray dogs and cat.

It is important to take a look at why there is stray dogs and cats on street. First, city living in India is partly to blame. In western kitchens, leftover food is disposed of using garbage disposer. In India, the food is usually thrown in garbage containers located throughout the city. These garbage containers are out in open. Every day, municipal corporation truck picks up the garbage from the containers. In meanwhile, it is food-fest for stray animals. You will see stray dogs, cats, cows and birds freely chewing anything edible. You may be tempted to suggest to closed-lid garbage container as solution – but hold your breath. Public in large need be educated to throw the garbage in closed containers. Without public education, garbage will still lie outside.

Typically, stray dogs are Pariah breed – which are considered as scavengers. There is perception that these dogs are terrestrial and cannot be trained. Thus, middle-class Indian families hesitate to adopt them as pets. Families tend to have pure breeds such as Labrador, German Shepherd or Pomeranian as pets. Indian families are happy to offer stray-dogs food and shelter out of good heart, but will not accept them as family pet. Few charitable organization and people has adopted stray dogs and cats, but they are out number. Many organizations are touting that these dogs will make excellent pets, but in Indian society, these dogs have second-class status.

What happens next to stray dogs is now in hands of civic chief to decide. In mean while, life goes on.

For these young kids on street, nothing phase them from catching a break.

Here you see young kids playing their favorite game of cricket.