There is no doubt that dogs make us more humane. International Dog Day is observed to celebrate the bond between humans and four-legged angels. It is also a reminder for us to do our bit to help strays which starve without food and shelter.
Not a day ends for many of us without watching a dog video. They truly make our world a better place. But, are we treating our strays right? Stray dogs love humans the same way as pedigree dogs do but the love for them is not always reciprocated.
From beating dogs to death for seeking shelter to sexually assaulting strays and abusing dog feeders, we follow a lot of inhumane practices in our society.
Here are some examples of humans stooping low by attacking stray dogs:
1. Strays poisoned to death in Telangana:
In what could be the cruellest deed performed by the municipality, 100 stray dogs were poisoned to death in a span of two days in Telangana's Siddipet in the name of urbanisation. They also dumped the carcasses in a dump yard near the Busaram forest. The incident drew flak from animal activists but no action was taken.
2. Dog thrashed for seeking shelter in an apartment during rain:
Exactly a month ago, a stray dog was beaten by security guards for seeking shelter during heavy rains in an apartment in Mumbai's Worli. The spine chilling video of the incident went viral on social media. It even got the attention of many celebrities. The poor dog later succumbed to injuries. She is not the first one to face this unfortunate fate, but the lack of powerful laws against animal abuse put more dogs at risk.
3. Stray dog feeders face abuse:
This is something that sadly doesn't shock us anymore. A lot of dog feeders face abuse in society for helping the strays. In one such incident, a resident of Bengaluru faced the wrath of her neighbours for feeding strays. She was not just humiliated but faced physical torture from her neighbours, who beat her up when she tried to save dogs from abuse. Even if you're just an onlooker to such abuse, you will still be abetting a crime.
4. The apathy of a GHMC worker:
In December last year, an ailing dog was brutally killed by a GHMC worker who dragged it by a rope down the road for half a km in Hyderabad's LB Nagar. This incident is a classic example which shows our apathy towards strays.
5. Did the strays 'ask for it'?
Sometimes people surprise us with their behaviour by stooping so low to a level one can't even imagine. A man in his 20s sexually assaulted stray puppies near Chennai's Madhavaram. CCTV footage from the neighbourhood showed the man forcing the pups to have unnatural sex.
Though crimes against stray dogs keep happening, complaining against them is like writing on air. Why is it so hard for people to co-exist with strays? Doesn't the planet belong to them as well?
Irony laughs hard whenever we say the word 'humanity' as we have failed to show compassion towards our fellow beings and animals many times. This International Dog Day, make a promise to yourself that you will restore the lost humanity by helping a furry stray friend! Adopt indies!