A former associate editor with the Times of India, Jug Suraiya writes two regular columns for the print edition, Jugular Vein, which appears every Friday, and Second Opinion, which appears on Wednesdays. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. LESS ... MORE
Street dogs make good companions & provoke intense debate
It's a battle red in tooth and claw that makes the fur fly. And it's been escalated to the Supreme Court no less, not once but twice.
The hostilities are provoked by India's so-called stray dogs. In that descriptive tag is where the problem lies.
The dogs that inhabit the streets of India are not strays who've strayed in from elsewhere. That term better suits the foreign breeds, like German Shepherds and Labradors, brought into this country by breeders who mate them incestuously for customers who deem exotic and expensive canines to be a status symbol, and think a Great Dane is Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The native Indian street dog is healthier, hardier, more faithful, and friendlier, making for a much better companion than any imported and inbred counterpart.
Round them all up and get rid of them any which way you can, says the anti-dog brigade.That's barbaric, contend animal welfare advocates. SC's first order suggested shelters. Some critics asked: Shelters? For dogs? When we can't provide shelters for people who sleep on pavements? The second order, thankfully, restored the status quo ante.
But disputes continue. One argument is that those most vulnerable to canine attacks are daily-wagers and slum-dwellers who must leave their children unattended. The well-off, goes this argument, are safe in gated communities, and can afford the luxury of being kind to strays.
The other argument is that street dogs grow in numbers and become a menace when well-meaning but misguided people feed them outdoors, and unwittingly establish food territoriality, which must aggressively be protected against perceived intruders, four legged or two. The counter that SC heard is that strays going unfed is a bigger public safety issue. So, SC has designated feeding zones.
Perhaps, those who feed street dogs on the roadside should extend their magnanimity to accommodate the maxim: Don't give the dog a bone, unless you can also give it a home.