Sir,
This refers to the letter titled “Stray dog menace in Gokulam” (Star of Mysore dated Apr. 23). I am residing in Gokulam for the last 6 years and I don’t see any such problem with regard to street dogs.
Most of the street dogs are neutered by the City Corporation and many residents are taking care of the street dogs in their locality, which is a good thing to do as these strays take care of any unforeseen dangers. In fact one of the street dogs alerted us about the poisonous snake in our compound.
I would like to mention that dogs are not ferocious because of the pampering by the resident; it’s because of the amount of the garbage and stale food that is disposed by the careless residents which attracts other territory dogs which is actually causing problems.
Instead of pointing finger at innocent animals, if the residents are more sensible and responsible towards their neighbourhood all problems can be tackled.
The City Corporation is doing its best to collect garbage on daily basis; even after that I can see the locality is filled with garbage, sometimes expired medicine, glass pieces are also disposed of which pose life threat to animals like cows and dogs.
I would request all the residents to be kind towards animals in their locality. If they take care of at least one dog, it will take care of the entire locality in case of any danger.
– Suvarna Joshi, Gokulam, 24.4.2022
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NO OFFENCE but you seem to be living in a different world. Stray dogs menace has reached serious proportion in Mysore and many Mysoreans would agree on this. In fact I have seen so many readers writing letters to Star of Mysore regarding this issue. I am shocked that you are believing MCC’s claims of neutering dogs! Sterilization of dogs is big sham by every city corporation in India.
Your two statements just don’t gel together – (1) “In fact one of the street dogs alerted us about the poisonous snake in our compound.” AND (2)”Instead of pointing finger at innocent animals, if the residents are more sensible and responsible”
You have problem with snake. Similarly some people have problem with dogs. I know a wild poisonous snake cannot be compared with a dog which is a domestic animal but in the end both are animals. You find dogs innocent but snakes dangerous. There are some people who would say snakes are also harmless unless we provoke them. The layout where you are residing was once home to snakes, squirrels, mongoose, birds and other species. We have robbed away their homes. So the less we talk about our care for animals and environment, the better it is.
I always say that those who have too much love for stray dogs should adopt and keep them in their homes rather than leaving them on streets, in hot sun and cold nights. They can provide the dogs nourishing food so that they don’t have to feed on left over food and rotting garbage.
NO OFFENCE but you seem to be living in a different world. Stray dogs menace has reached serious proportion in Mysore and many Mysoreans would agree on this. In fact I have seen so many readers writing letters to Star of Mysore regarding this issue. I am shocked that you are believing MCC’s claims of neutering dogs! Sterilization of dogs is big sham by every city corporation in India.
Your two statements just don’t gel together – (1) “In fact one of the street dogs alerted us about the poisonous snake in our compound.” AND (2)”Instead of pointing finger at innocent animals, if the residents are more sensible and responsible”
You have problem with snake. Similarly some people have problem with dogs. I know a wild poisonous snake cannot be compared with a dog which is a domestic animal but in the end both are animals. You find dogs innocent but snakes dangerous. There are some people who would say snakes are also harmless unless we provoke them. The layout where you are residing was once home to snakes, squirrels, mongoose, birds and other species. We have robbed away their homes. So the less we talk about our care for animals and environment, the better it is.
I always say that those who have too much love for stray dogs should adopt and keep them in their homes rather than leaving them on streets, in hot sun and cold nights. They can provide the dogs nourishing food so that they don’t have to feed on left over food and rotting garbage.
Sorry but I think you are not aware of some practical facts, firstly how can you compare condition of a snake with dog because the fact is there are vaccines available which makes dogs rabid free, are there vaccines which voids snakes of their poison? Secondly just see the mauling cases which happen, most of the time thise dogs are involved which do not get proper food or are not cared for and third many people just say that if others like dogs they shd adopt them, the fact is not everyone has the resources to take care of dogs at home,some might not hv time or the space to accommodate them but this should not hamper the care of dogs because a dog who is taken care by food and vaccinations hv far less chances of infecting or attacking someone
Very good and thought provoking piece, you are absolutely right, stray dogs too deserve to be cared for and it has become the need of the time, in many mauling cases we have observed that those stray dogs are involved who have to eat from garbage or are not cared for, it is important that we as citizens take care of their vaccinations and food, only that significantly reduces chances of them attacking someone else
The stray dog issue always spilts the society into binary polarised two parts. And both are right in a certain way.
So there is no question of who is right or wrong.
But the questions to be considered are :
1. Is stray dogs a problem?
2. If so, to whom? And Why?
3. To whom it is not a problem? And why?
4. To arrive at possible, long term, sustainable and implementable practical solutions.
Examples include
Those who are kind to street dogs and oppose doing anything to the dogs, can they adopt one or two of those dogs and get rid of the problem in their street?
Those who are against work with the corporation to see that stray dogs are captured and let off in the periphery of the forest or strerlised etc.,
The corporation has to totally prevent people from feeding the stray dogs. If they want, let them take it into their homes and feed them and keep them etc
@sachin
Do you live in Mysore? If so, where?
Stray dogs have been part of Mysore culture for decades. I remember in My primary school years, way back in 1950s, children going to schools terrified of these dogs, after 2 children were bitten by stray dogs, caught rabies and died.
A Western woman , who arrived for a brief visit saw a stray dog puppy following here, stopped, and patted it. The puppy licked her hand. After return , she felt very ill, and had to rush to hospital, after self-treating herself as some kind of infection for a few days. She was put on a ventilator, and fought for her life for days and finally died. There has been warning in the Western-European travel hubs to be beware of stray dogs in India!
Most stray dogs in India, carry rabies.
When the new Mysore airport got expanded, and if death-wish foreign visitors arrive, they had to contend these marauding stray dogs.
This is not what your PM Modi says tech India, it is stray dogs India. A third world dump, looking at stray dogs !
@Sachin sorry but your theory or in fact the general theory of “if you like stray dogs then take it to your home” is not practical to solve stray dog problem, because every one has some kind of limitations, some might not have enough time to take care of them, some might not have enough space in their homes as well as other reasons and if with this the dogs are neglected at home or not able to move freely in some cases it also amounts to cruelty, at the same time it has been observed that when dogs are fed proper food and cared for it reduces the chances of being attacked, secondly such people are required to vaccinate the dogs cared for so with vaccination the rabies problem is solved and when sterilized they are not able to reproduce thus controlling their population, only when people care for dogs and start taking these steps the citizens can be safe and even dogs can be cared for and this is sustainable rather than shifting them to forests or other areas.
Thank you @Kaustav for your constructive and courteous comments and also different point of view to enrich the discussion.
Perhaps there are no straight and easy answers to the problem.