The menace of stray dogs
THE menace of stray dogs has assumed alarming proportions in our cities and towns. They are a common sight in India.
There is no street without a team of such dogs. As soon as a stranger enters a street, they begin to bark and howl.
They not only bark and howl at the person, but also pursue him and sometimes pounce upon him and bite him.
We often hear cases of children being bitten by these feral creatures. The Municipal Corporation and its wards must take effective steps to control the population of these dogs.
There are daily cases of dogs biting people in every street and corner of India. People are so religious minded that they don’t look at their destruction with favour.
So they continue to flourish and multiply. Street dogs are dangerous creatures. Some of them suffer from infectious diseases like rabies.
When they bite a person, the person turns mad and dies. They are also dirty and unclean. How dangerous are then these street dogs!
Some of them are even full of festering wounds and fleas. They spread foul smell, fleas and diseases wherever they go.
They ease themselves in the streets and thus spread dirt and filth freely. They feed on things that are filthy from dustbins thrown away by humans.
They are hated and beaten wherever they go. They lead a miserable life. They are not at all beautiful to look at.
They are devoid of good qualities of loyalty, sagacity and watchfullness that we generally associate with dogs.
They are the most hated and abominable creatures. They do positive harm and serve no useful purpose at all.
They are notorious for their theft and make away with whatever articles of food they chance upon.
They always mess up places and themselves because there is no one to take care them. They are frequently more vicious, unpredictable and rugged compared to domesticated dogs.
They tend to howl and bark especially when there is a fight with another dog which is common during mating.
This could be annoying, loud and disruptive to the neighbourhood. It is no sin to destroy these street dogs.
The sooner they are done away with, the better will it be. The government has to spend lakhs of rupees on the maintenance of hospitals meant to treat patients bitten by mad dogs.
This money can be much better used to provide milk to school children. The protection of street dogs cannot be defended on any grounds.
They must go lock, stock and barrel. In it, lies human safety. In it, lies the beauty of our streets. In it, consists wisdom and prudence.
If people want to take care of stray dogs by feeding them with biscuits, meat bones and other eatables, they must adopt them by keeping them in their houses.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Mumbai, India
