Midweek Musings 30: 1.07.2026
Street Dog shelters
By Malini Shankar
There were an estimated 153 lakh or 15.3 crore street dogs in India in 2025, a result of callousness by human beings who are responsible for having domesticated the wolf to a tame dog and then abandoning their wards. Human beings are responsible for ‘creating’ over 60 breeds of dogs. Dogs have been part of the domesticated animal brood within the human landscape for millions of years. But there are more street dogs than domesticated pet dogs in India, in the Subcontinent… that is a direct result of people not taking responsibility of a tamed wolf which became a domesticated dog. You will not find abandoned, orphaned street dogs in Europe Australia or in the New World. It is unique to Indian subcontinent and colonised parts of Africa and some parts of Latin America.
Although I can personally
testify, dogs in Colombia in South America are worshipped and deified much like
India’s Holy Cow. The pet dogs are dressed up in tailored finery, with fancy
boots, ear rings, pony tails, light jewellery, and are fussed and feted, indulged
with business class comfort on flight tickets. The dressed up dogs in Bogota
international airport are used to the stress of change of flights, airports,
cargo handlers etc.
Street dog menace in India is largely because of following reasons:
1.
Human beings have abandoned domesticated pet
dogs on the streets,
2.
Lack of street dog population control / Animal
Birth control
3.
Lack of solid waste management and un-civic
disposal of organic meat wastes and lack of separation of wet wastes by an
irresponsible human population. It is estimated that about 6.2 million tonnes
of meat wastes are disposed of irresponsibly without segregation or treatment
in India. This is then scavenged by abandoned, homeless, starving street dogs searching
for food.
4.
Lack of civic duty by both citizens (not
disposing wastes properly) and lack of efficient cleansing and clearing by
municipal authorities.
5.
Aggressive dog behaviour on streets is rooted in
callous insensate drivers having injured and maimed hungry homeless street dogs.
6.
Lack of veterinary care of street dogs means a
large portion of them are rabid.
7.
Abandoned street dog are lacking in food,
shelter and vet care. Street dogs are five times more vulnerable to catch
rabies a fatal veterinary disease. Worse, a rabid dog can inflict fatal wounds
and spread the infection when alive to other hosts of the virus.
Rabid street dog attacks on human
beings, especially vulnerable children are a public safety concern. Every year approximately
20000 human beings succumb to rabid dog bite attacks, according to WHO says the
article on Scienceinsights
There were an estimated 429,664
rabid dog bites in India in January 2025 according to a release
by Press Information Bureau.
While
WHO supplied Rabies vaccines are mandatorily available in every single Primary
health Centre often supplies maybe hit. The anti-rabies vaccine and anti-venom
doses are the most utilised sections medicine administration in Primary health
care centres in India.
The
issue prompted an interim order by India’s Supreme Court in 2025 when the Judge
ordered rounding up all street dogs to a shelter or euthanasia of street dogs.
The issue divided the citizens right down the middle with half advocating the
humane sterilisation and sustenance of street dogs in shelters while the other
advocated summary execution (that is what euthanasia is) of all street dogs.
Municipal
authorities across the country will readily testify to the inefficacy mass
culling / killing of street dogs that was the norm for decades. Animal birth
control through sterilisation of street dogs was found to be the most
sustainable solution.
Given
the obstinacy of Indians to refuse to adopt and make pet dogs out of street
dogs, animal birth control has turned out to be the most sustainable of solutions.
National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 is a publicly
funded programme in India. That means, because Indians refuse to take
responsibility for dogs, funding hast be sourced from government to control
their population.
On
the other hand there are street dog lovers who stand up for the right to life
of the abandoned street dogs. Many such activists feed the dogs food and water,
give temporary shelter to nursing street dogs and their litter, some people
give medical care to street dogs.
Animal
birth control – sterilisation / neutering / spaying of street dogs has not been
100% effective, because it is impossible logistically to be effective. The
solution does not lie in striliation. The solution lies in responsible adoption
of street dogs.
“The management of India’s street dog population is a complex challenge, situated at the intersection of urban ecology, public health, and animal welfare. These free-roaming dogs thrive in the country’s unique urban landscape, leading to a large population that co-exists closely with human communities. This population creates a significant strain on public health resources and frequently results in human-animal conflict. National policy has shifted away from mass culling toward humane methods, placing India at the forefront of a global effort to find a sustainable solution for dog population control and rabies elimination”.
Street dog shelters need to be publiclly funded till the people ofIndia take up responsibility for adoption of street dogs as pet animals.
Links:
https://scienceinsights.org/indias-street-dogs-population-public-health-and-policy/
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