Current Alerts

Recent Alerts

Guide to Letter Writing

Media Center

Ask Municipalities to Stop Abusing Community Dogs

Following the recent increase in incidents involving humans and community dogs, municipal corporations in India have been using cruel methods to arbitrarily capture community dogs. This knee-jerk reaction is detrimental to the efforts to control the population of community dogs. Animal welfare groups across India have been coordinating animal birth control over the last few years.

Killing community dogs is not only barbaric – it is also against the spirit of Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. In exercise of the powers conferred by subsections (1) and (2) of section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (59 of 1960), the central government has made the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. Rule 3 mandates that “street dogs shall be sterilized and immunized by participation of animal welfare organizations, private individuals and the local authority”. As such, local authorities are required to help control community dogs through sterilisation and immunisation.

The following are the ways to control the population of community dogs:

• Phase in humane stray-dog population management through spaying and neutering.
• Shut down unlicensed meat shops and slaughterhouses and set up a carcass-utilisation centre.
• Stop the breeding of dogs for profit or by animal guardians.
• For people who have the time, money, love and patience to make a life-long commitment to an animal, we encourage people to adopt from animal shelters and rescue groups rather than buying them from pet stores and breeders. Every newborn puppy purchased from a breeder leaves one fewer home for a dog or cat who is desperately waiting in a shelter or roaming the streets.

There is hope for homeless animals. We must persuade people to spay and neuter animals in order to stop the cycle of abuse. We must convince governments to accept responsibility instead of turning a blind eye to a problem that causes unimaginable suffering for animals. Please contact the nearest animal shelter in your city to learn what you can do to help the situation. Click here to locate the nearest animal welfare organisation in your city.

You can help by writing letters to the editors of your local dailies explaining how animal birth control is the only way to control the overpopulation of community dogs. Please also write to your city’s local municipal corporation and explain the need to implement extensive animal birth control practices.

RK1880