People Are Fighting Like Dogs Over Dogs

Neighbours all across India are fighting each other over the growing problem of stray dogs in their communities.

What is going on?

Should people feed stray dogs in their neighbourhoods? Should people forbid others from feeding stray dogs? Why do people fight so vehemently over the topic of caring for stray dogs?

These are all valid questions and the answer isn't simple. There are so many factors that play into this; the main one being the safety of people from aggressive or rabid dogs. Every day there are reports, articles or videos of people fighting, sometimes quite violently.

“People are fighting like dogs over dogs.” - Sonal Kalra

The fact is, India has one of the highest number of stray dogs in the world, with estimates ranging between 35-40 million. And although there are many organisations and local governments trying to reduce this number through various birth control programs, the population continues to grow. There are few citizens who can say that stray dogs don't effect some part of their daily lives.

At night it's sometimes impossible to sleep because of dogs barking, howling or fighting on the streets. Road traffic accidents often involve or are caused by stray dogs. A lack of space, territorial behaviour and questionable interactions between man and beast has caused some packs in certain areas to become aggressive toward humans, sometimes fatally. 36% of all rabies deaths in the world occur in India, mostly the result of dog bites.

The reason there's so much conflict over this is because there are 3 different types of people: dog-lovers, haters and those who are indifferent. There's no point in arguing over who is right and who isn't or placing blame. All these things don't solve the problem and there is truth on both sides of the argument. We need to work together, intelligently and most of all respectfully.

Is there a solution?

The sheer number of stray dogs in India and the rising population has made many individuals, organisations and officials claim that there isn't much hope in the efforts undertaken so far. This means people need to come together like never before and find a practical solution to appease all sides.

The governments, local and central, will have to get involved because this isn't a problem that's going away and involves the people who are their responsibility. Drastic measures such as mass killings isn't a practical solution, nor is birth control enough. Common ground must be found.

At AKELA we believe there IS a common-ground solution. It may sound impossible or ridiculous to some but it could work and we're hoping to attempt this and prove that it's possible. Whilst some would argue there isn't enough space to shelter such an overwhelming number of stray dogs. We think that if you undertake the project city by city or even village by village, and focus on a smaller area first, it is actually possible. Small steps. There IS actually enough space to shelter all dogs.

As with all projects, the only real obstacle is funding. That's why we need to work together and get the government more involved in providing a safer environment for people as well as the stray animals.

What you can do to help

Since this is a national problem and effects all of us, it's worth mentioning that we all can do our part to make a change in this regard.

Remember that a dog that has one of it's ears clipped (cut) at the tip most often has been vaccinated against rabies and has already been spayed/neutered.

• ADOPT don't shop!!! Forget about pedigree dogs and their status symbol. An Indian dog is just as smart and loveable! In a country of almost 1.4 billion citizens, it would take just 35 million people to adopt a stray dog and care for it to get rid of this problem entirely! This would also help decrease the number of brutal puppy mills that are "manufacturing" pedigree dogs in the most cruel conditions.

• If you are a dog owner who allows their dog to roam the streets freely, ensure your dog has been spayed/neutered so they can't go around being part of the problem.

• It's hard for some people to deal with adult dogs, but if you find puppies around your neighbourhood, you could see if there are any shelters near you willing to take them in.

• If you can afford it, you could get one or more dogs in your neighbourhood spayed/neutered.

• Check if there are any NGOs or government organisations near you who can pick up the dogs in your neighbourhood and spay/neuter them for free (at no cost to you).