Pawsibilities of a Stray Dog-Free India

Photo by Anoir Chafik on Unsplash

Stray dogs on our streets is something we moan and mither about frequently, especially when the topic of inept government in India comes up. Some strongly suggest eliminating them, while others protest rabidly (pun unintended) against their slaughter. While culling may seem harsh, these canines are exposing us to the danger of uncleanliness, injury and disease.

At over 35 million, India has the largest number of strays in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Roughly 36% of the world’s rabies deaths occur in India each year, most of those when children come into contact with infected dogs”. Even though this fact is extremely perturbing, it doesn’t mean that we can indiscriminately kill living creatures. So, what is the solution to this multiplying (literally and figuratively) problem?

I think that the main problem when it comes to stray dogs is that most of us don’t know enough. In fact, some of us are actually contributing to the breeding of these strays due to our ignorance. So before we jump to conclusions, let’s understand the real issue.

Most of the strays we see are Indian Pariah dogs (Indies), a breed native to India. They are also sometimes other breeds that have been deserted by their owners. This is why one of the preventive measures you can take against strays is adopting responsibly, so you won’t have to abandon a dog in the future and add to the ever-growing number of stray dogs.

Another important measure you can take against strays is not feeding them. Contrary to what you may think, when you feed stray dogs, you are not helping them. Stray dogs live what are called “half-lives”. They can’t live wholesomely as they lack nutrition and shelter, but they don’t die either as they manage to survive on scraps of waste food. By feeding them, you are only elongating their deficient lives.

What should you do instead? Contact a dog shelter nearby and get the mongrel neutered or spayed and vaccinated. Spaying is an operation performed on female dogs which prevents them from giving birth. The equivalent of this is neutering, which is conducted on males. Did you know that a single female stray dog can give birth to approximately 14 puppies a year? Each time you get a dog neutered or spayed, you are preventing it from reproducing and therefore reducing the stray dog population significantly.

Have you ever wondered why stray dogs seem to breed so much in India and not in other nations? Well, it’s because of the litter. I’m sure you’ve seen stray dogs roaming around garbage dumps. Strays scavenge through the trash we dump in public areas for food. Each time we make the choice to throw our garbage anywhere except in a trash can, we indirectly make another choice: the choice to support stray dogs breeding in our cities.

If you want to solve the stray dog problem in India, you now can! By following the simple steps above, you can make a “pawsitive” impact on health and hygiene in India.