"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” said Mahatma Gandhi. India seems to be falling short by several notches. But why?
In a civilised world, stray dogs would be left to roam free. So why are they being mistreated in ‘our’ world? Isn’t our society civilised? Going by the rapidly rising incidents of torture and cruelty towards our canine friends, we don’t seem to care. Cruelty is one aspect, now certain pockets of our country have resorted to mass culling of dogs to reduce their numbers. This notion stems from a flawed understanding of street dogs and their environment. A World Health Organisation study revealed that culling dogs has no effect on rabies transmission or the overall stray population and can even be counterproductive. Dogs are extremely territorial animals. When one dog vacates his territory, other canines waiting on the periphery move in to fill that vacuum. Several studies and real-life examples have proved that dog vaccinations and neutering can control the canine population and reduce man-animal conflict.
Are there no stray dogs in rich countries?
The urban setting in India (like in many other developing countries) has one specific feature that provides a conducive environment for stray animals to flourish – unattended garbage. This is not an issue in developed countries where waste management is a serious issue. In India, garbage dumping grounds provide a food source for scavenging dogs. Those advocating the removal of canines are oblivious to the serious ecological consequences that their absence can create. Take the example of the US and UK. The vacuum created by the elimination of street dogs has been filled by foxes and seagulls (in the UK) and coyotes (in the US) which pose similar risks. A news report said that in certain seaside towns like Brighton, it is impossible to eat food outdoors – gulls swoop down and snatch the from your hands. Even the UK prime minister has called for measures to check this problem. If more dogs were around, this problem wouldn’t arise!
Is it safe for street dogs to eat garbage?
Dogs have always been scavengers. They have evolved from wolves. Many studies indicate that wolves started living near human settlements so that they could eat the garbage thrown outside. For dogs, garbage is their primary source of food. Unlike us, they don’t view it with disgust. So street dogs act like unpaid garbage cleaners, consuming organic waste that would otherwise putrefy and smell, as well as keep a check on rodent population. They can never depend on humans for food. Of course, eating garbage has its risks — there are instances of food poisoning — but overall stray dogs lead long and healthy lives if they eat food from trash.
Why do dogs bite?
There are many misconceptions about stray dogs. They don’t look for trouble. Heard the saying, ‘Let sleeping dogs lie’? Well, just let them be! Most dogs will either ignore you or go away when they spot you. They usually do not bite unless provoked. There are certain precautions that you must take – never approach an unfamiliar dog and teach your friends to stay away too; bites related to fear can take place when a dog is startled, so don’t sneak up on a dog or bother one that is sleeping; be aware of and respect the maternal instincts of a bitch (female dog) that has given birth recently; teach children not to approach a young puppy when its mother is around; apply caution while handling puppies. Importantly, dogs that have been hit by a vehicle in the past tend to chase bikes and cars thereafter.
Factors to be kept in mind before adopting a stray canine
If you want to adopt a street dog, it is best to choose a puppy. Adopting an adult stray can be challenging because it has set habits which may be difficult to change. But if you still decide to opt for one, make sure he is neutered and vaccinated. Your family should support your decision too. Most owners tend to dump dogs because they have become too ‘big’, there is an addition to the family or they just don’t want the pet! Changing homes or moving to another city are cited as other reasons. Quite flimsy, we say! Dogs are living creatures, not just furniture that you can discard when you don’t want them anymore.
Do all dogs spread rabies?
Only rabid dogs spread rabies. Healthy ones don’t. To mitigate rabies we require a carefully implemented neutering and vaccination programme, public awareness campaigns and an efficient garbage disposal system. Without a multi-pronged approach, any programme to address dog bites and rabies will remain ineffective.
Are skin problems and patches symptoms of rabies?
Many dogs have been killed because of this false impression. Skin problems and fur fall are not symptoms of rabies. Rabies affects the central nervous system, not the skin. The confusion arose because there is a skin disease called scabies.
Dealing with the nuisance of barking at late hours
Street dogs have been co-existing with humans for centuries so barking and howling in the dead of night are commonplace and generally accepted. Even so, we must remember that excessive barking occurs during dog fights, mostly during mating time. Solution: Sterilise the dogs so that fights over females — and hence the barking — discontinues. However, if a dog still barks at night, it’s likely that he’s trying to warn you about an intruder. Would you define that as an irritant? Instead of being grateful for their services, we only condemn them. Some people are so superstitious they believe that a dog howling at night portends an ominous happening. Let’s not get carried away!
What kind of food is best for stray dogs?
They adapt to anything —leftovers, dry food, wet food etc. But it should not be too sweet or spicy.
Stray dogs and mongrels: what’s the difference?
Stray is merely a legal term used for an animal that is ownerless and homeless. It has no connection with the breed of the dog. A mongrel is a dog of mixed or indeterminate breed. Both the terms stray and mongrel are erroneously used to denote a pariah dog. Pariahs are believed to have a heritage going back to 15,000 years. It refers to a class of primitive dogs that are not commercially bred or recognised. In India, there is no demarcation between pariahs or mongrels. Once a pariah or mongrel gets adopted as a house pet, it ceases to be a stray.
Precautions to be taken while feeding canines
1. Feed your community dog well away from residences, parks, bakeries and house gates.
2. Try not to make them relate food with you or your house because they will begin to follow you, defend your house or the feeding spot against people and what/whom they perceive as threats.
3. Train them to be independent and search for food (by giving them adequate but not excess) so that they eat from other areas and people as well.
RIGHTS OF HOMELESS DOGS
Street dogs have a right to the place in which they are born
If your local municipal body thinks it’s necessary to control street dog populations, it can either sterilise or immunise them and then drop them off at the same location from where they were picked up. The scientific reason behind this is, dislocation of dogs can be counter-productive. If these dogs are permanently removed from an area, they will be replaced by other non-sterilised street dogs, which will be unknown to you, thereby raising incidents of man-animal conflict. It also increases the possibility of dog fights as any new dog entering a territory is attacked by the dogs already living in that area. Also, if a sustained effort is made to sterilise and vaccinate dogs from a certain area and they are brought back, the municipal body can take up prevention measures in the next locality without worrying whether new dogs have taken over the spot of the displaced dogs.
When is it legal to kill a stray dog?
The Animal Birth Control Rules (ABC rules) formulated under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 mandated the killing of only rabies-afflicted, incurably ill or mortally-wounded dogs.
Animal cruelty is an offence
Under Indian laws, animal cruelty is an offence punishable with imprisonment and fine. Likewise, intimidating animal welfare volunteers is a serious offence.
THE JOY OF LOOKING AFTER STRAYS
I look after all the stray dogs in my locality. I give them food every day. I love playing with them. It is a great stress buster for me. I look after their medical needs as well. My parents and friends too support my passion for looking after these adorable canines.
Riddhi Potdar, class IV, Euro School, Thane, Mumbai
About two years ago, we read about an incident where a number of Beagles were rescued just before they were being sent to labs for experiments. We decided to give one of them a home. When we first saw her we knew she ‘belonged’ to us. She’s friendly with everyone, but is still afraid of loud noises and vehicles.
Rohit Fernando, class XI, Don Bosco School, Chennai
Please share with us your views on how best we can take care of our stray dogs.