Dr. Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
The stray dog population in cities has increased dramatically and is becoming a serious threat to public safety. Children are bitten on their way to school, senior citizens are afraid to take morning walks, and two-wheeler riders are often injured when dogs chase them. This is no longer a minor nuisance; it is a public health and safety issue that demands urgent and lawful action.
To control the street dog population, Municipal Corporations must implement sterilization and immunization programmes in partnership with animal welfare organizations, NGOs, and responsible citizens. The law is clear: only humane and government-approved Animal Birth Control (ABC) methods are permitted. Culling is illegal. The Supreme Court has directed that stray dogs must be released back into their original territories after sterilization, deworming, and vaccination. Only dogs confirmed to be rabid or displaying unprovoked aggressive behaviour may be housed in separate shelters.
Killing street dogs does not solve the problem. When one pack is removed, another quickly moves in to exploit the available food sources. Globally, the only proven method to reduce stray dog numbers is systematic sterilization of at least 70 percent of the dogs in a given area. Once this level is achieved, the population stabilizes and gradually declines within three to four years.
Some people believe they have the right to remove animals without considering humanity’s moral responsibility toward creatures that share this planet with us. Yet India is a nation rooted in the principle of ahimsa and opposed to cruelty. The earth does not belong to humans alone. Ironically, many who tolerate spitting and urinating in public spaces cannot tolerate harmless animals struggling to survive.
Most strays live miserable lives — scavenging for rotten food, starving, and suffering from painful diseases such as mange. Some diseases, including rabies, are communicable to humans. Hungry and territorial dogs often chase or bark at people and children, creating fear and risk.
The root cause of the stray dog problem is poor waste management, not the inherent nature of dogs. The issue is most severe in areas where food waste is dumped openly on roadsides. Therefore, the first step is effective waste management, not indiscriminate dog catching. Municipal authorities must ensure regular street cleaning, penalize open dumping of food waste, and promote door-to-door collection of wet waste instead of roadside bins that become permanent feeding points for stray dogs.
In line with Supreme Court directives, municipalities should establish designated feeding areas in every ward and prohibit feeding on public streets to prevent packs from gathering near schools, markets, and hospitals. Dedicated helplines must be created to report dog bites, aggressive animals, and violations of feeding regulations. Action should also be taken against individuals or organizations violating these directives.
Every sterilized dog should be ear-notched and tagged for identification. NGOs involved in sterilization programmes must submit monthly reports detailing the number of dogs captured, sterilized, vaccinated, and released. Independent third-party audits should verify the results.
Resident Welfare Associations should appoint Dog Welfare Coordinators to identify unsterilized dogs, supervise feeding points, and report sick or injured animals. Public awareness campaigns are equally important. Children should be taught not to tease dogs, while adults must understand the consequences of abandoning pets, as a large percentage of stray dogs are abandoned pets or their offspring.
Relocating dogs to distant areas is both illegal and ineffective. Rabies can only be controlled through mass vaccination of dogs within their existing territories, with a target of vaccinating at least 70 percent of the dog population annually in every zone.
Municipal Commissioners should publish quarterly reports detailing ABC targets, budgets, vaccination progress, and dog-bite cases. Small and hygienic shelters should be created only for rabid, terminally ill, or genuinely dangerous dogs — not as dumping grounds for every stray.
Cruelty must be condemned and punished on both sides. Dog catchers using brutal methods and individuals who poison or abuse dogs must both face strict action under the law.
Dogs have lived alongside humans for centuries. They often alert neighbourhoods to intruders at night. As pets, they are affectionate companions; as unmanaged strays, they can become a threat. However, the answer is not hatred — it is responsible management.
Stray dogs are part of the urban ecosystem and can teach lessons of friendship, loyalty, and coexistence. There are countless examples of stray dogs protecting and even sacrificing themselves for the people who cared for them. Animals are not on this earth merely for human convenience. Coexistence with compassion is essential in a civilized society.
The stray dog issue is undoubtedly a serious urban challenge, but it is solvable. The answer lies not in cruelty or mass culling — both illegal and ineffective — but in scientific and humane measures: mass sterilization, vaccination, disciplined waste management, designated feeding systems, community participation, and strict accountability of municipal authorities.
Public safety and animal welfare are not opposing goals; they can and must be achieved together. If laws recognize the right of street dogs to live, then governments must ensure those laws are implemented effectively to protect citizens as well. We must act with urgency, responsibility, and humanity. Only when we maintain clean streets and manage compassion wisely can we truly call ourselves a civilized and caring nation. Dogs can remain man’s best friend — if we care for them the right way.
— Dr. Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Free-Lance Journalist, Writer & Cartoonist
Limca Book of Records Holder (8 Times)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
