By Dr. Kuhu Roy & Mrs. Hansa Roy
The ultimate answer to peaceful mutual co-existence between humans and stray dogs is spay/neuter and it is also a win-win for everyone; those who love stray dogs (numbers are controlled humanely, rabies control, shows one as a responsible animal lover and there are lesser number of lives suffering on the streets), those who hate stray dogs (numbers stop increasing – population stabilises, no instance of rabies, but dogs have to be allowed to live their life span) and for the stray dogs themselves (they don’t have to undergo repeated cycles of physiological, nutritional and emotional drain and bother about pups any longer, their health improves and reduces the odds of dog bites).
Engaging in spay/neuter will not fetch any likes, comments or shares but will give the satisfaction of burning the blood in the right direction. It is the most soul rewarding service for anyone who truly believes in welfare of stray dogs in tandem with community.
If one can spot puppies or allow the mother dog to repeatedly deliver for a steady supply of pups to be put up for adoption, (the Indian puppy mill system, as we call it), one can make an extra effort to spot the unsterilised female dogs beforehand so that they can be spayed in advance – and the pups actually never step into this cruel world. Cutting the supply chain will make numbers managable, it is common sense, more needy dogs will get home, there will be lesser agony on the streets.
The picture below is that of Karishma, the day she was found as a scrawny lactating mother dog and when she turned healthy and confident post sterilisation and lived for herself.
Read on to know about spay/neuter and animal birth control programme here. ‘Can a stray dog become man’s best friend? 5 steps to harmonious living with stray dogs,’ is now available on Amazon in both eBook and paperback format. It is an informal handbook that answers all questions about the sterilization of stray dogs (Animal Birth Control programme) and emphasizes its benefits towards creating a rabies-free society for man and dog by 2030. It is a step-by-step guide to bring together the civic authorities, police, animal welfare organizations, media and the community for the success of the Animal Birth Control programme in the cities of India. A book in which both animal lovers and non-lovers will discover how to end the man-animal conflict on the streets.
