While it is good to be compassionate about animals, it is highly irresponsible and insensitive on the part of people feeding stray dogs and cats regularly, without taking full care and responsibility for them and creating nuisance for their neighbours.
Okay. You have now read the heading and it has caught your attention; the topic’s something controversial.
Yes, it is.
However, it has nothing to do with criticism of stray dogs. We are in full support of caring for the strays; what we are against is how some people exhibit their ‘compassion’ for the dogs.
We wouldn’t be lying if we said not all people walk untroubled along the street with stray dogs around.
We also would not classify their fear of getting bit by a stray dog as cynophobia.
Here’s the harsh truth: not all dogs are nurtured well. Reason? They are not tended by genuine animal lovers. And the outcome is people living in the vicinity sharing the plight of either losing their night’s peaceful sleep, thanks to the howls and barks, or worse, getting bit by the strays.
How many times have we read articles or seen news stories where infants have been bit or the aged population injured because of the stray’s nuisance?
You must have definitely seen dogs running behind/alongside auto rickshaws or bikes posing great threat to them. Again, the reason behind these behaviours is lack of proper nurturing.
There is a difference between being an animal lover and casually feeding stray dogs. The latter we categorise as ‘wannabe animal lovers’ and below mentioned are the justifications.
Animal Lovers:
Animal lovers actually take steps to ensure that stray dogs are trained well and cared for. They also make it a point to join animal shelters or volunteer to walk dogs.
Wannabe Animal Lovers:
Feeding the strays in plastic bags is just a small part of caring. You feeding dogs from your house windows, throwing chapatis and leftover chicken bones only result in mess. Look at the larger picture and you see a polyethylene bag left behind and remainder of the food disseminated alongside the road.
Animal Lovers:
People, who genuinely love animals, are good at restraining them under threat situations. Animal lovers connect with stray dogs on an emotional level and ensure that strangers feel safe around them.
Wannabe Animal Lovers:
Wannabe animal lovers do not have a hold on the behaviour of stray dogs. They themselves are at the risk of being attacked, which if transpires, does not justify the meaning of being an animal lover.
Animal Lovers:
Now, we agree that adoption of strays is a personal choice, but we are certain that a true animal lover would at least adopt one stray dog. They would also spread a word within their social circle, in the process encouraging their friends to act similarly.
Wannabe Animal Lovers:
This lot, on the other hand, would probably cook up some excuse like the family’s disapproval of adoption into how they cannot take a dog back home.
Animal Lovers:
Upon finding a stray dog, they will take every necessary step to ensure that the animal is safe, they themselves are safe and everyone around feels secure. They know that not all dogs are sterilised and will see to it that it is taken care of.
Wannabe Animal Lovers:
Wannabe animal lovers feel compassionate after looking at a street dog and feed or pat them. It is total ignorance, as they risk getting bit and contracting unwanted disease.
Wannabe animal lovers only add to the menace of a dog’s aggression by regularly feeding it. First and foremost, they should vaccinate the dog with the help of a local vet.
Very few people hate strays. If you do not belong to this category, you need to make sure that feeding dogs is carried out responsibly. Further care should also be ensued so that the animals do not pose a threat to the society.
