Wherever you go in India, one of the common sight that you would see are stray dogs. I have had different opinion about it over the years. Sometimes, I felt that the stray dogs should either be neutered or adopted. I always stopped short of killing them. Whether they are stray or not, they are still dogs and I always had a soft spot for dogs. Few days back, I happened to see a dog and a cat trying to find out who will blink first. They were trying to decide who should have the fish that was dropped on the road, but neither were willing to get into a fight.
I started wondering who had the right to the fish, the dog or the cat. One thought led to another and soon I was wondering who had the right to live, man or dog. Every creature has its domain; man has cities, towns and villages; domesticated animals have cages, stables and pens; wild creatures have their forests. But dogs are not wild, and strays are not pets, so they have nowhere to go. Just because man has outlived their need for dogs as far as protection is concerned, doesn’t mean they can be left without a place to call their own. They have every right to cities, towns and villages just as man, as long as its public property.
That is my opinion, and I am sure there will be a lot of people to argue against it, over it and under it.
Last night I saw corporation authorities dragging one of those stray dogs. Obviously, they were going to stick a needle to that poor dog and say good-bye.
Few days back I saw a few homeless men sleeping on the footpath… I wonder, is the cycle repeating with new characters?
Few years from now I am sure I will see a few old people and will wonder…
Where is this going to end?
3 comments
Very true, especially the last line… there was a time in Kerala when old people were cared for. Today I hear of increasing numbers of old people being abandoned far from home. Stray dogs are multiplying at a faster rate than other animals due to their adaptability and the availability of food due to increasing wastage in cities like Blr. And they are now turning on humans, especially young kids and hence the need to control their population.
I’m currently writing a short piece on a stray-dog incident inspired from your above article. I liked your style of writing. (I’m planning to provide hyperlink to your post as a post script. Hope u don’t mind).
I read the article you mentioned. It was really touching. I felt as if I was in Anand’s shoes and felt very guilty.