Two recent incidents of attacks by stray dogs have brought the issue into focus yet again. In one instance, a 19-month-old child was mauled to death.
In light of these incidents, and so many others in the past months, it is no longer possible to ignore the stray dogs that roam the streets of Goa, and merely hope that the sterilisation programmes will work.
Simultaneously, it is not humane to get rid of the dogs. What, then, is the solution to the growing problem?
There is no doubt that Goa needs a systematic action plan that goes beyond sterilisation and vaccination drives, one that involves the State government, the local governing bodies and NGOs. Society, at large, has to come in.
Why society? Because it is evident that many of the stray dogs are abandoned as puppies by pet owners, and a substantial number of people feed the stray dogs.
As a regular walker on the Mandovi promenade, that once had not a single stray, it was surprising to, one day, about two years ago, suddenly come across a litter of pups.
Why society? Because it is evident that many of the stray dogs are abandoned as puppies by pet owners, and a substantial number of people feed the stray dogs.
There was no adult dog with them, making it obvious that somebody had abandoned the pups there. Over time, the number of strays at this promenade has increased, and they are found all along the path. They are being fed and petted by animal lovers and the number keeps increasing.
Responsible pet ownership is something that Goa should consider, whereby dog owners should not allow their pets to roam unsupervised. In other countries, dog owners are mandated to clean up after them. Does anyone in Goa ever do this?
If pet owners are not responsible for their pets, then they have to be educated that they cannot abandon them in public places. This only intensifies the problem, and the work that the animal welfare organisations is doing is nullified.
Interestingly, Section 11(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act states that abandoning any animal ‘in circumstances which render it likely that it will suffer pain by reason of starvation or thirst’ amounts to cruelty to animals.
If pet owners are not responsible for their pets, then they have to be educated that they cannot abandon them in public places. This only intensifies the problem, and the work that the animal welfare organisations is doing is nullified.
Let’s look at the United States, where dogs are either owned or taken away from the roads and housed in dog pounds. These dogs are then offered for adoption, and in the event that there are no takers, they are euthanised.
Quite a few countries have animal pounds and this does mitigate the issue of strays to a large extent. In India, we do not have dog pounds where the strays can be kept, so they remain on the streets. Does this not amount to cruelty towards animals for aren’t they actually suffering by being kept on the streets?
The issue in Goa has been left without a well-thought out and long-term solution. The stray dog issue needs to be approached with empathy, whereby society and the stray animals are prioritised and not one over the other.
Like in all other issues, the solution may not be simple to find, and implementing it would possibly be even more difficult.
If dog pounds are part of the solution, how does one remove or reduce the stray dogs when there are no animal pounds to accommodate them?
The issue in Goa has been left without a well-thought out and long-term solution. The stray dog issue needs to be approached with empathy, whereby society and the stray animals are prioritised and not one over the other.
Frankly, is it even possible to build such pounds for the increasing number of stray dogs? Even in a State like Goa, where the population of stray dogs would be less compared to larger states, how would one go about constructing and managing pounds for the strays?
In the absence of other methods, part of the solution seems adopting. Would it be possible for those feeding stray dogs to take home some of the animals and keep them as pets?
It’s something to think about in the given circumstances. They may not be mandated by law to take them home, but out of concern and as responsible citizens, could they do it?
What has also been suggested elsewhere is reducing the size of the pack. The more the number of stray dogs in a pack, the higher the possibility of an attack.
What leads to creating packs, is the feeding of stray dogs by people who place a lot of food at a particular place leading all the dogs to that area. The dogs then stay within that area and that forms packs.
There may be no easy solution to the issue of stray dogs, but there surely will there be an answer to it. It will require citizens, NGOs, local government bodies and the State meeting together to find a way out.