Unfriended Companions

George Orwell's quote from ‘Animal Farm’ can be applied to dogs, highlighting that not all dogs are equal. Purebred dogs are highly valued and often live pampered lives, while street dogs are seen as less desirable and rarely welcomed into homes. India has over 60 million stray dogs, leading to a dog bite every 10 seconds, totalling over 3 million bites annually, with about 5,000 being fatal. Stray dogs pose various issues, including direct injuries to humans and animals, road accidents, disease transmission, pollution, and noise.

On the other hand, street dogs reside in cities and have unique histories and behaviours, and are considered part of urban life. While some of us call them ‘stray animals,’ he or she will have a name — the most common of which are, Tommy, Tiger, Moti, Sheeru, Kaalu, Raja, Rani — and give the community companionship, love and the security of belonging to people, who have very little themselves but need that source of support especially in metropolitan cities. Numerous stories exist of dogs safeguarding children, such as a baby discovered in a Kolkata garbage heap with the help of a local street dog, and two dogs in Chennai that assisted in capturing criminals who had just committed a stabbing.

The primary concern for people in India is the risk of rabies. Stray dog issues often pressure municipalities to resort to inhumane solutions like mass slaughter, including methods such as poisoning and drowning, under the guise of cost-effectiveness. However, these methods are ineffective for controlling dog populations or rabies, as highlighted by the World Health Organisation's 2004 recommendations, which state that dog removal alone does not significantly impact rabies spread. Instead, humane removal of unvaccinated, ownerless dogs should be a supplementary measure to mass vaccination.

On Monday (Aug 11, 2025), the Supreme Court Bench, consisting of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, took suo moto action by directing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and civic authorities in Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad to promptly remove all stray dogs from urban areas and relocate them to shelters. The court further ordered to create shelter capacity for at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks, and provide an infrastructure report within eight weeks. The court has also instructed civic authorities to start a helpline for reporting dog bite cases.

After this decision, two groups of people stand divided, with a section backing the directive to pick up the canines of Delhi-NCR streets as “relief” and another slamming the same, warning that it has the potential of worsening human-dog conflict. Animal welfare organisations and PETA India have criticised the Supreme Court's directive to remove stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets, calling it "unscientific" and "ineffective." They argue that the forced removal would cause chaos and suffering for both animals and residents. PETA India's senior director of veterinary affairs, Mini Aravindan, has argued that relocating dogs is not a long-term solution to the issue of dog overpopulation. She cited the 2001 government requirement for sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs as a key factor in calming their behavior. Aravindan emphasised that if the Delhi government had implemented an effective dog sterilisation program, there would be fewer dogs on the road today.

As per Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, it is the duty of every person having care or charge of any animal to take all reasonable measures to ensure the wellbeing of such animals and to prevent infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering. Section 11(1) (h) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 provides that it is a cruelty, if any person, being the owner of (any animal) fails to provide such animal with sufficient food, drink or shelter, and as per the Section 11 (1)(i), it is a cruelty, if any person, without reasonable cause, abandons any animal in circumstances which tender it likely that it will suffer pain by reason or starvation, thirst and it is also a punishable offense under PCA Act, 1960. The Provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and Rules framed thereunder need to be implemented by state governments.

The Constitution mandates states to provide shelters for stray animals, while the Central Government creates Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and local bodies implement these rules, requiring sterilisation, vaccination, and restoration of stray dogs, explicitly prohibiting relocation. The decision that stray dogs should be relocated creates a legal inconsistency between the rules set by the Central Government and the Supreme Court's order.

Furthermore, regarding logistics, the government is unaware of the exact number of stray dogs, as the last dog census conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2009 estimated the community dog population at 560,000. A subcommittee's estimate in 2019 suggested the population had risen to 800,000. Currently, it is estimated that the number of stray dogs in Delhi is around 10 lakh. The Supreme Court appears to have overlooked the amount of space required, as well as the resources needed to care for these dogs. Sources indicate that Delhi lacks dedicated dog shelters and has only 20 sterilisation centres, which can collectively operate on approximately 2,500 dogs simultaneously. To effectively manage the stray dog population, at least 70 per cent of it needs to be sterilised; however, the current facilities are unlikely to achieve this goal.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for controlling the stray dog population, and quick fixes are not effective. A successful stray dog management program includes a combination of measures such as education, neutering, legislation for dog owners, environmental controls, and humane euthanasia for sick or aggressive dogs. Additionally, A precise population assessment is necessary before developing the scheme/programme, and ongoing surveys are needed to track progress and evaluate its success or failure. Education is crucial yet challenging in managing stray dogs. A comprehensive and compassionate strategy is needed to tackle the crises, involving consultation with social organisations and dog caregivers.

The writer is Director, School of Law, Fairfield Institute of Management and Technology, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal