Ria Sinha, social science researcher
Maggie, my Indie, is my daughter. After getting Maggie, I’ve connected with so many people in my neighbourhood and apartment. I often tell parents, please don’t tell your children that dogs are scary. Kids are naturally friendly with dogs. Many children in my locality run up surrounding Maggie that sometimes I even have to remind them that she also needs her own space and time. But overall, Maggie has helped me build so many social connections—I’ve bonded with other pet parents and neighbours in a way that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
A stray might bite because someone has beaten it, or because it’s infected with rabies, or simply because it’s starving. Sometimes during mating season, they can become aggressive. Or maybe she has just given birth and someone tried to harm her pups. I’ve seen people throw hot water, hit, and harass them unnecessarily. These cruelties make dogs fearful and defensive. If we reduce these atrocities, aggression will also reduce. Add to that sterilisation and vaccination—sterilised dogs are calmer, not aggressive during mating season. Vaccination protects them and the community. When dogs are well-fed, secure, and not threatened, they don’t attack anyone. They just coexist happily with the community.
Sangita Thukral, RWA president, M & P blocks, CR Park
I feed 15 – 18 Indies daily. Whitey, an Indie stays in the landing of my flat but in the beginning she would never enter the flat. It is only when we got Pepper, a schi tzu, and the two got friendly, that she started to come upstairs. I trust her instincts. We had a dog called Muffin, Whitey sleeps on her bed now. In Delhi, if we talk of shelters, we have to talk of facilities. Because of some dogs, you can’t pass a rule on every other dog.
Rajni Agarwal, relocation professional
Even pedigree dogs can’t compete with my Gabbar in friendliness. I love Indies, they are hardy, flexible, loyal and can be trained. When I put Gabbar through Canine School, a lot of people said ‘Do you think you can turn him into a human?’ When my mother fell ill and then passed away, he would instinctively be at my side if the doorbell rang. He would just be on alert, it’s like saying ‘I’m her caretaker’. If I’m sad or low, he knows. He and other colony dogs do much as any family member for women like me who live alone in the colony. Some of us in the locality are on night patrols these days till the pronouncement of the court ruling so that no sterilised and vaccinated community dog is picked up.
Hemali Sodhi, literary agent
Nikki, an Indie on our street, was much loved by everyone. The joke among residents on our lane was that Nikki had a superpower – he could read car numbers; even before you had parked, he would miraculously appear out of nowhere to give you his special brand of greeting. He was the Chief Guard of G Block; his ‘night patrols’ were legendary.
Yes, there have been recent incidents of dog bites and we need solutions. But we need to cut through the fear, the hatred and the misreporting and try and understand why, sometimes, street dogs can act a certain way. They might react strongly as a defence mechanism, or out of sheer hunger. Often, there is not enough food to go around. Living conditions - with poor garbage disposal which has seen a monumental pile up in recent times - can add to conflict.
Very often, dogs are randomly picked up and taken for sterilisation, then dropped off to the wrong area, where they will get into a conflict with neighbourhood dogs. There are so many ways in which we fail our streeties. Street dogs are community dogs. Just as Nikki was. These dogs must not be punished with a death sentence, for our failures to put the right measures in place.
Dr Vivek Arora, senior veterinarian
We are a society in transition. While not true for the entire population, the percentage of people with empathy for the ecosystem, for animals, and especially dogs which are strays, is low. They are of the view – why do we need animals, they won’t teach their kids the value of co-existence, they will teach them dominance…Do cars stop plying if there are accidents? Even a 20-year-old vehicle is allowed to run…
What measures do we take when some children turn bullies – is the entire class punished or the school shut down? Man is at the top of the pyramid, that doesn’t mean you can decide to end another species or take punishment to an extreme.
We talk about companionship. A dog gives that every day. Learning to look for shelter, how to take care of your own hunger, to forgive and forget, to try to make friends – it is a dog that teaches us these lessons in community building. As they don’t have a voice, their custodians have every right to raise theirs.
Anubhav Gupta, NGO founder and dog rescuer
I have two Indies, Jamun and Aam Pappad —they are not ‘strays’. People are obsessed with ‘pedigree dogs’ but it’s dog lovers and Indie parents who are paying the price of this fear psychosis. How many of us even know there are over 50 native Indian dog breeds? Each of them has distinctive traits, unique temperaments.
I am under a debt of Rs. 8 lakh. Many like me are under debts because they’ve dedicated their lives to running shelters and rescuing dogs. Many have sterilised more dogs than even the MCD. Authorities should work with dog lovers and rescuers. We are not against humans—we are working for humans: by removing rabid dogs, caring for sick dogs, and ensuring safer surroundings. Of course, I’ve been teased for owning Indies. Some people won’t even shake hands with me. If they’re eating meat, they’ll hand me the bones for my dogs. But I’ve never given up. My dogs have supported me throughout my life.
Ashima Grover, founder of Canine Forever Home and Trust in Chhatarpur
One major myth I encounter regularly is that Indies are meant for the roads. People think that if it’s an Indie, it belongs on the street. That’s completely wrong. A stray is any dog abandoned on the road—whether it’s a Labrador, a Golden Retriever, or an Indie. When the verdict first came out, I thought it was fake news, because nobody expected the Supreme Court to pass such a judgment. Dogs are more sensitive and sensible than humans today, and I realise that especially when I see people celebrating the verdict. Many don’t know what shelters actually look like. They think it’s a good thing—dogs will have their own space and food. But in reality, shelters are cramped, with hundreds of dogs packed together and often very little food.
R K Tepur, founder of Animal Rain Basera, animal shelter care
Stray dogs in Delhi are said to number in the lakhs. For instance, accommodating 5 lakh dogs would require at least 3,000 shelter homes. Many animal lovers in the city feed, vaccinate, and provide medical care to these dogs. If the dogs were to be relocated, the government would have to take full responsibility for their food, treatment, and upkeep. If we talk about the growing number of strays, breeders also share responsibility, as many people [who buy dogs from these breeders] abandon dogs at the slightest inconvenience. To address the issue effectively, officials in all government departments related to animal welfare must be trained to handle such situations.