Debating the positives and negatives of having stray dogs and pups around

Many were left shocked last week after a Dwarka resident chopped off two legs of a stray puppy after he was scratched by the little one. The incident sparked a debate on the fate of stray dogs.

From people beating stray dogs to pulp to tying carcass to a pole and even buring them alive — many instances have occurred in the past, where stray dogs have been treated inhumanly.Last week, a Dwarka resident severed two legs of a stray puppy when the canine scratched him. The incident is but one in a long list of animal cruelty that is inflicted on stray dogs. Not only has it sparked outrage among many but it has also given birth to a debate among dog lovers and haters.

Last week, a Dwarka resident severed a stray puppy’s two legs after the canine scratched him.

While many won’t agree, having stray dogs around has its own benefits. Dog experts talk about what makes them awesome and how to deal with them, if you aren’t dog friendly:

Amritika Phool, co-opted member, Animal Welfare Board: Only people who don’t know the benefits of having street dogs will call them a nuisance. They’re scavengers, so they eat rodents wherever they live. That means lesser chances of diseases for everyone. Also, in colonies where people feed these strays – they become loyal. They keep the locality secure at night.

Swati Tandon, dog expert: People need to realise that desi dogs are smarter than most breeds. They will only bite a person if they see him/her as a threat, they don’t do anything without being provoked. If you’re really scared of them, then walk past them casually without paying any attention to them. But if you can, then try and be friendly and you’ll see that they’re wonderful, loving creatures.

While violence against stray dogs is unacceptable, but there are many who have had unpleasant experiences with them. Dirty streets, dog aggression, and so on — here’s what people have to say:

Dirty surroundings, dog aggression, and vandalised property, the list of complaints against strays are many. (Rishikesh Choudhary/HT Photo)

Prem Deep Balhara, president, Resident Welfare Association — Freedom Fighter’s Enclave: I love dogs, and I have two of them but I believe stray dogs are a nuisance. We’ve had a very bad experience with them in 2009. They were everywhere in our colony, and bit everyone – from kids to old people. Also, feeding them led to unhygienic conditions as people would leave the food on the road, and it would just rot there. We should have programs where people are trained to deal with them.

Yogendra Singh Maan, Director Press and Information, North Municipal Corporation: Dog menace is a huge problem. We get a lot of dog bite complaints from people. There are seasons when dogs get really aggressive, sometimes bitches too get dangerous on finding that someone pose a threat to their litte ones. Other issues that arise due to street dogs is that they sit on people’s cars and often chew the radio antennas. That is also very common.