Hypocrisy unmasked: Pedigrees at home, strays for society?

Sir,

Dr. Javeed  Nayeem’s recent column asking, rather bluntly, “Where are the real dog-lovers?” is a rarity in public debate: honest, unfashionable and deeply necessary (SOM dated Nov.23).

For all the passionate noise generated after the Supreme Court’s latest order on strays, there remains a striking reluctance among self-proclaimed animal lovers to shoulder even the smallest fraction of the responsibility they demand from everyone else.

They defend the “rights” of street dogs with almost constitutional fervour, yet fall strangely silent when asked to adopt one.

One is reminded of Nawab Mahabat Khan III of Junagadh, who reportedly built 800 well-furnished kennels, complete with attendants and telephones, for his own dogs.

Modern dog lovers, by contrast, profess boundless affection for strays, but only performatively and only at a comfortable distance, expecting the State — and the citizenry — to bear the cost.

Asim Nehal’s ‘Life of a Street Dog’ offers a painful counterpoint to this moral posturing. “I roam not out of choice, but because I have nowhere to go,” he writes — a reminder that a street dog’s life is a daily negotiation with fear, hunger and hostility.

“I sleep under cars and corners, praying the night is kind.” If this is the “freedom” activists extol, then their affection seems suspiciously comfortable — the kind that thrives on distance rather than responsibility.

The hypocrisy grows starker when many of these ardent champions of canine dignity proudly display their pampered, pedigreed imports — the Huskies in tropical heat, the Pomeranians groomed to perfection — while urging society to rehabilitate strays.

They will spend lavishly on fashionable breeds, but expect municipal budgets to stretch indefinitely for feeding, sterilisation and post-attack compensation.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens — children, the elderly, sanitation workers, morning walkers — navigate public spaces with quiet, constant fear. Rabies deaths, maulings and unprovoked pack aggression are not “narratives”; they are lived realities.

This is the heart of the matter. Compassion is commendable, but human safety is non-negotiable. A civilised public space cannot be held hostage to unmanaged animal populations, however affectionately some may speak of them.

If the plight of the street dog truly moves these activists, they know exactly where to begin: at their own doorstep, leash in hand.

– M.Jameel Ahmed, Yadavagiri, 28.11.2025

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