This morning as I left my colony I was greeted by a sight that made my stomach churn. A dog lay by the roadside curb, dead. I am no stranger to the sight of dead dogs (or even people) for that matter on the roads, having seen my fair share of gruesome accidents with brains splattered all over the tarmac. Then why did this dog lying unhurt by the roadside make me want to throw up? For starters, this was one of the three dogs that would greet me every morning, wagging their tails and accompanying me to the bus stop. This one, in particular was much more affectionate and has on several occasions come up bounding behind me and "hugged" me from behind! I will miss meeting him every morning...
But more than that, what got my blood boiling was that he hadn't died in a careless accident, nor of natural causes. Somebody had very obviously poisoned him (he still had traces of froth at his mouth)...and several others as I realised a few minutes later as I moved down the road. I accept that I never did anything for them. I don't feed street dogs nor do I get them vaccinated, nor do I get obviously diseased dogs treated by a veterinarian. Infact I have to admit that I have often complained about the nuisance of street dogs, despite being a dog lover. I agree that their increasing numbers can pose a problem especially when they get aggressive, but to "get rid" of them in this manner is disgusting. I won't deny thinking that a street dog which is obviously suffering from a disease should be put to sleep, but to "put to sleep" a seemingly healthy dog that wasn't in the least bit nasty nor aggressive by poisoning him is nothing short of the work of an extremely cruel and sick mind. Our country is crippled with its overwhelming population - do we go around poisoning and killing those that can not defend themselves? Then why the poor dogs who can't even speak up in their defense?
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6 comments:
Surprising how the concept of 'stray' dogs or as a matter of fact, any 'stray' animal is only prevalent in poor or developing countries.
Anyway, I certainly do not agree with poisoning stray dogs on the roadside but just as certainly, I do not agree with letting them roam free. In case of the dog mentioned here, the poor animal might have been unlucky enough to be killed in spite of being a peace loving animal but would you imagine the plight of people who have suffered problems due to stray dogs? If the municipal corporation wants to get rid of these troublesome dogs, how would they ever recognise which dogs are harmful and which ones are harmless.
I hate pointing fingers at people but maybe you would not have given yourself a chance of falling into this grief if you had adopted that dog. Since you didn't, you cannot expect the rest of the people in the area/city to be tolerant towards that dog just because he was harmless towards you.
There obviously needs to be a way out. A solution might be to round up all the stray dogs and keep them in a centre for people to come and adopt them. There is no room in an overpopulated country like India to keep too many of these dogs in such a shelter but a move like this would be helped immensely if all the supposed 'dog-lovers' actually do something practically to reciprocate their 'love'.
Everyone has a right of opinion, I believe and I am sure anyone who has gone through the terror that a large pack of stray dogs hunting around late in the night can bring about will be of an opinion that all stray dogs should be instantly culled.
-PeAcE
--WiTh
---GuNs
Guns - I won't argue with you. Yes I as an apparent "dog lover" did not adopt the dog and didn't do anything to get it off the streets nor help improve its condition. Yes Ia gree that our country really doesn't need this problem and has to worry first about its human citizens then its animals. Yes I accept that if you have been attacked by a dog and had to suffer becuase of it you'd want them culled, but that in no way justifies killing the dog by poisoning it. And that above all is why I am so angry. You have a problem with the dog, get the authorities to round it up; don't lure it with the promise of food and poison it to death. That is just sick...you can not justify killing a dog in such a mannerby saying you have a right to opinion. Next I'll say I have my right to opinion and go ahead and kill another animal/person that has caused me grief (and believe me there are quite a few of the latter)...is that justified?
nice to see you back!
Anonymous - Glad that you're glad I'm back, but would have been gladder had I at least a hint of who you are :-)
@Guns:
How many people do you know have gotten seriously troubled by dogs? I'll grant you the rabid ones and the aggressive ones but these are a minority in the scheme of things. Most Indian Pariah dogs are very friendly and are quite happy to play a moment or two and then go away. And if you saw a rabid or aggressive dog, you'd know the difference for sure. You wouldn't have to wait to be bitten or chased to find out.
Are you seriously saying that one cannot expect people to be humane to other creatures living around them? That you need to adopt them to be show sensitivity to them? Is that what you really mean to suggest? That's ludicrous in an extreme. Almost not worth answering but just to make the point clear - most strays and indeed most animals will not attack or harass you if you don't harass them and I assure you, people do much more of the harassing than dogs.
The shelter idea is a capital one but do you believe for one minute in a country like ours where people do not have respect for people who work in stores or a real concept of old age homes, you're going to have a DOG shelter? Obviously you don't know India very well. If you'd look up either WSD or Karuna or SOS and PAWS, you'll find that they really aren't supposed dog lovers. And most areas in Bombay have an animal shelther. Check out Ahimsa in Malad to see the work they do.
Finally, just where do you think Pune or Bombay is? The middle of the African or Australian outback that there'd be large packs hunting around? Urban strays do not behave like that - packs are never typically more than 4-5 dogs and that hardly qualifies as large. Terror? If a dog chases your car or bike, just try stopping. They'll back off immediately.
@Plain Jane: My apologies for the rant - I'll take it to my own blog for sure but this manner of rash inconsideration for stray dogs just gets my goat - like you know only too well! :-)
Just because one doesn't personally KNOW people who've been killed by oacks of dogs doesn't mean these things don't happen or that they should continue.
I'm not for needless killing either but it's a distinct possibility that any stray dog--showing rabid signs or just being peaceful--is a potential nuisance.
I've often been terrified out of my wits by packs of dogs--easily 7-8 in number--fighting amongst themselves, and the ones on my street have a predilection for bugging people out early in the morning or when they're shopping (the people, I mean, not the dogs).
Our government is underfunded or overlazy or whatever to not be able to curb human population, forget about animals, but in my opinion--and whoever wants can disagree with me anytime--city life is notorious for breeding what are called 'vermin', and dogs, crows, rats, and cockroaches all fall under this category. It's because of the heaps of garbage lying around...
Not condoning the poisoning, though...it must have been a totally sick mind that did it to 'enjoy' the supposedly powerful feeling of being able to deal out death to lesser creatures. Such is life.
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