How To Deal With Stray Dog Menace?

Are you fed up of the stray dog menace in your area? They have become the dons who are now a big threat to your young children. They bark, growl and sometimes even try to bite you. They scare you so much that you have had mini heart attacks as well. You want all of that to get over. You want to get rid of this important and much talked about issue. Do you?

Today, in Times of India Chandigarh issue, a number of locals have expressed their views about the stray dogs menace and about the latest sterilization program initiated by the MC in the city. Though I didn’t expect this from TOI team but they did publish views of some stupid people that prefer to give their ‘scientific judgements’ without checking their facts.

If you’re reading this blog, I definitely don’t expect you to be like those people who say ‘dogs get aggressive because of sterilization and they must all be killed in one go’. Let’s not talk about such inhumane people. Let’s talk about a few things YOU can do to deal with the stray dogs issue in your locality.

1. Understand that streets are their homes: Their family have lived in the place since your family did. Those streets are their home and when you try to shoo them away, you’re actually trying to conquer their territory. At least, that’s the impression they get from you. What would you do if someone tries to throw you out of your house? Fight. Right? This is what they would do. So, in case, you want them to behave as calm and lovable dogs, mend your own ways.
2. Stop scaring them: Most of the times dogs growl at you because they’re scared of you. Maybe you did nothing wrong to them but your scent may remind them of someone else. Dogs live in present, literally. They don’t remember the face of a person who hit them or scare them. The only thing they can remember is either the scent or the fact that they’re scared of any figure that looks like a human. In such a case, show some love to them and they will change.
3. Stop being a nuisance for them: Whenever a stray dog attacks a kid or a person, the only culprit is the DOG. Why? Just because they can’t justify what they did because of their lack of communication skills, you consider them the problem. Shame on you! They attack when they’re threatened. Ask your kids not to throw stones at them, stop kicking them every time you see them and stop anyone who indulges in such inhumane and stupid activities. If you can’t do that, stop complaining about dog bites.
4. Be a good parent, stop spreading fear: Why are you scared of dogs? Most of the times it is because that’s how you were raised. Most of the times when children try to go near a stray dog, their mothers start shouting like they’re going to touch acid or something. I agree that a child might not know whether it is safe to touch a stray or not but there’s a calmer way to get this thing in your child’s head. You don’t need to make him afraid of dog. If you do, get ready to see your child deal with a constant fear of dogs.
5. Don’t be a racist: I expect many of you who would read this article would be the ‘dog haters’. But if some dog lover is reading this, please don’t be a racist. You shower so much love on your pedigree breed. You love him so much and call yourself a big dog lover but where does all of this go when it comes to stray dogs? Aren’t they dogs? Don’t you find them cute? They deserve equal love and affection as your costly pedigree does. If you can’t love them, just don’t hate them.
6. Feed them: How much food do you throw in dustbin each day? Come on! We all have to deal with leftovers and most of us just throw them in dustbin. If you just use those leftovers to feed those hungry helpless creatures, you would not only do a kind deed but also be protected by them for forever. This is the love of dogs. They always pay their debts.
7. Help them when they’re injured: Most of the stray dogs have to suffer from one injury or another because of the careless ‘humans’. Just because you don’t get convicted for killing a dog doesn’t mean it is okay to kill a dog. In case, you find an injured dog, try to help it. At least, give a call to a dog lover organization like PFA or something. It doesn’t cost much to be a good person. Seriously!
8. Adopt: Do you know that stray dogs are low maintenance dogs with high immunity. They won’t get sick easily, they won’t need an A.C. in summers, they won’t need top quality dog feed. But yes, they would give you equal love, attention and protection as a pedigree would. Why not adopt a stray then?

I thought of writing a sort of hate post for the people who pass comments like dogs should be killed, sterilization makes them aggressive (seriously! Read some science books. Uneducated ignorant people!) and so on but then I thought what difference would it make? Would they stop passing such stupid comments or would they stop their cruelty? Would they pick up a vet science book and learn something about dog behaviour? No.

But there are a set of people who can stir a change in society. You are one of those people. You have read this and now you know how you can deal with the stray dog problem without killing them or without posing a threat to your own life or to the life of any member of your society. Go on! Try to put some Gyan in the heads of stupid people like the ones I talked of. Go on! Be a human, not an animal.