Kerala continues to kill stray dogs!

Dogs have been human companion since ages and they will live side by side to humans without any disdain towards us. It is our unfounded fear, due to living in urban atmosphere, without any wildlife exposure, that makes us fear dogs for nothing.

Dogs may sometimes become aggressive due to territorial issues or fear, but thinking of killing them is something that is disgusting to say the least. Why not work towards neutering and spaying? Who stops anybody to use these methods to control the population?

Lastly, we all have been moving around in streets. How many of us have been bitten? And think about the fear that creeps within you when you see a big dog on street, even though the poor dog may just be passing a good time. This fear makes us think and act in ways that is absurd, because if we start acting on simple fears, we are on verge of loosing our mind.

According to the Hindu at least 1000 people per month in Thrissur.

Until a family member has been bitten by a stray dog some people will not be able to imagine the tension and worry people go through after a (stray) dog bite.

I fear coming home late at night, for all the street-dogs in my area turn to tigers, running at me in a group..barking loudly in a threatening manner. I do not wait for them to verify if they will bite me!

No doubt stray dogs at night are a big nuisance. They should be removed from the streets, I find it as simple as that.

I don't have any problem with euthanizing stray dogs as long as it is done in humane way. If people love dogs so much then adopt them. Any dogs that are not adopted MUST be removed by the government. That is how it is done in the USA and I like it. I don't want stray dogs running around on the roads and creating hazards for drivers. If canine adoption rate in one state is low then these dogs can be moved across the state lines to places where adoption rate is high. This will lower kill rate. The other option is to kill/sterilize female dogs (to bring birth rates of new stray dogs to zero) and let male dogs die in time to remove the problem over time.

If you want to see how much problem these stray dogs are in India, just go out on the street after 10 PM. These dogs rule the night and will gang up, fight, and sometimes chase humans. For over a billion people, nights in India are surprising quiet (except for dog barking).

<== Here is a person who already spilled blood on road, thanks to a sprinting stray dog.

Or better yet, considering Indian stray dog population, create a separate state for them.

I hope this is entirely your personal opinion, because.....


more often than not, I return from my workplace after 10 PM (and the spectrum is really broad stretching right up to the next morning), my home is around two km, I walk the entire stretch, I pass by almost a dozen gangs of stray dogs, each gang has 5 to 10 dogs and sometimes even more. And I have never been chased by any of them (forget about any incidence of a dog bite). The major sources of noise at that time, unfortunately, are mostly anthropogenic according to my experience.

Mod Note
This thread is full of barking. It will soon be quarantined. Some posts have been culled.

The vast number of bites that occur are not from stray dogs but from people's own pets!

Even if the number of people bitten by stray dogs is not "vast," it is an unnecessary pain and cost that they have to bear, and that suffering is not insignificant. Put yourself in their shoes. Won't you be thinking, why did this happen to me? And what can I do about it?

The Karnataka High Court ruled last week that stray dogs merit being killed. I'm sure you don't think of High Court judges as Nazis, do you?

I am in their shoes, more or less! I work a lot with strays and get bitten every now and then, no big deal, get some shots and get on with life.

Of course I do not think of judges as Nazis (where did that come from ) but I think that they can still be mal-informed. Lots of research has showed that killing (or removing stray dogs from their territory) leads to more bite incidents and an increase of rabies.

Apart from that, the ruling is against the Indian Animal Welfare Act.

TD, here comes some more barking contribution from my side, just a smiley for now

It may not be a big deal for you to be bitten regularly by dogs, but it SURE is a big deal for others to be bitten even once by a stray dog!
Removing dogs from the roads is for the greater good of people.
If ALL stray dogs are removed, how can it lead to more bites!
You mean High Court judges do not know the law!

The point is that you can not remove ALL dogs. Many countries have tried, none have succeeded, not even those which appear very efficient.

Read the Animal Act for yourself and then make up your mind:http://envfor.nic.in/legis/awbi/awbi01.pdf

Bad argument of the century.

If all judges knew all the law, there would only be one level, and no need for appeals, and much less need for lawyers.

This is an argument I've heard a million times earlier - whether to kill the strays for the greater good of the people or trying to control their population in a humane way.

Both sides will have their own points to put forward and I do understand the concerns over dog bites and their increasing population. But I choose to look at this issue in a more responsible way.

To be honest, from what I've noticed, people who blatantly suggest killing dogs to control their population, will personally never try to do ANYTHING about the issue except suggesting to kill them. Obviously because that is the easiest option. And then the same people if and when they do decide to keep a pet, won't waste a single minute to choose the German Shepherds and the Labradors. Or they will NEVER suggest a friend to adopt a stray from the shelters. They will ogle at a huge Great Dane and appreciate how beautiful the animal is. Let me ask you - How many of your friends have adopted a stray? Have you ever advised them to do so?

I've come across people no matter how educated, they are simply ignorant about the advantages of adopting a stray. The advantages are vast!!

It all boils down to every individuals attitude and how they decide to tackle the situation.

PS: My comment above isn't directed at anyone specifically. Just an attitude I've noticed everywhere.