Furious debate rages over stray canines in posh Ggn localities

The increase in the number of stray dogs, especially in the residential colonies of Gurugram, and their rising aggression has resulted in differences in opinion between various residents and dog lovers over the handling of the stray dogs.

While a certain group of residents feel that there must be a firm action taken by the authorities towards the problem, the dog lovers want an amicable solution to the challenge.

Recently, a nine-year-old boy was bitten by a dog in Sector-56 area. The incident caused a huge debate among residents that why there was no action initiated even though there had been numerous complaints on the temperament of the dog.

According to official estimates, there are over 50, 000 street dogs.

There are over fifteen dog bites reported from the city daily, says government hospital data.

The figures of dog bites have increased from 4,400 cases in 2015 to over 5,500 cases in 2016.

Further, constant barking during night time, dog fights and hygienic issues have also been raised by aggrieved residents.

While concerns have been raised over the stray dogs, there is also a lot of affection which is shown especially by residents that live in the same locality with the dogs. Besides providing them with food, some of the residents have personally financed in getting these animals vaccinated and even got them sterilised. Some of the residents in collaboration with the NGO's are also setting up the dog shelter homes.

In April this year, the RWA of a condominium society in Gurugram was provided with a legal notice by a group of residents after they started removing the stray dogs from their community area.

Recently, five members of the city civic body was brutally thrashed by 10-12 residents of Nathupur village after they had visited the area to catch hold of the stray dogs and other street animals.

"It is easy to blame the animals but humans are equally to blame for the rising aggression. Many of us blamed over feeding of stray dogs but just imagine the plight of the dog that is hungry for two days and its behaviour and compare it with a well fed dog," said Shruti Khandelwal, a dog lover.

"There are complaints of constant dog fights in my colony. Many residents feel that this in turn causes danger to them. To prevent this, we are of chaining the dogs, especially during the night time, so that they are in control," she further added.