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Five canine shelters to be operational in Pune by December-end
PMC has come up with a series of short-term and long-term measures to manage the city’s growing stray dog population
Following a recent government resolution (GR) directing all local bodies to capture, sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs found in public places before releasing them at locations different from where they were found, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come up with a series of short-term and long-term measures to manage the city’s growing stray dog population.
As an immediate step, the PMC will establish dog shelters at three locations that can collectively accommodate 200 canines (Naidu, Baner and Mundhwa). In addition, two large shelters will be started at Bhugaon and Shindewadi, each capable of housing up to 5,000 stray dogs. All five shelters are expected to become operational by the end of December, significantly boosting the city’s infrastructure for stray animal management, said officials.
Dr Sarika Funde-Bhosale, chief veterinary officer, PMC, said, “Three facilities at Naidu, Baner and Mundhwa will carry out the animal birth control programme for stray dogs. These shelters will be started immediately. Post sterilisation and vaccination, strays picked up from public places won’t be released back.”
Dr Nina Borade, health chief of the PMC, informed that all five aforementioned shelters will be operational by the end of December. “As part of long-term measures, 20 shelters for canines will be set up at different locations of the city. For this, expenses of over ₹20 crore are likely to be incurred. A proposal for the same will soon be submitted to the municipal commissioner,” she said.
According to civic officials, Pune has an estimated stray dog population of more than three lakh, but the city does not have a single dedicated shelter for these animals. PMC officials said that the civic body is working to scale up its infrastructure rapidly, but stressed that sustained funding, additional manpower and coordinated implementation will be crucial to managing the city’s massive stray dog population.
Following the Supreme Court (SC) order, the state government on November 24, 2025, ordered local bodies to immediately capture, sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs found near sensitive public locations such as educational institutions, public and private hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots, interstate bus terminals, and railway stations. The guidelines also directed that the dogs be released at places different from where they were picked up after sterilisation and vaccination.
