Family planning for dogs?

The monsoon brings with it not only the rains, but the problem of stray dogs too. PT reports on the stray dog menace and what can be done to redress the situation. PREETI was riding back home one night after having dinner with friends. She was in a jolly mood singing her favourite song and going over the events of the evening, when suddenly she heard dogs barking.As the barking got louder, she looked behind to realise that she was being chased by six frenzied stray dogs. Preeti's childhood paranoia of dogs took over, she lost her balance , and her two-wheeler crashed on the pavement.
The stray dog menace is quite a common scenario in the city and anyone regularly riding a bike at night will vouch for this. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has complaints pouring in every day. "We get a lot of complaints about stray dogs, as this is the breeding period. We get some eight to ten complaints," confirms Dr Narendra Thakur, in charge, animal birth control cell, PMC.
But, how does one tackle this problem? Go the Singapore way as suggested by the BMC commissioner Jayraj Pathak? Or take the easy way out and put them to sleep? "Absolutely not," says Dr Sucheta Viswanathan, founder, Animal Farm, an animal rescue centre. "I am amazed that this option is even being considered . Birth control is the only way to keep the population of stray dogs under control," she adds.
Hailing from New Delhi, she narrates the consequences of the Delhi Municipal Corporation killing stray dogs. "It not only failed there, but the population of the dogs had also increased . The ones that are generally killed are alpha dogs, who are friendly, strong and stable. The beta dogs that are nervous and likely to create problems , generally hide or escape. And, these are the ones that multiply," she explains. In defence of the strays, she asserts, "The local dogs don't bite, but once they are killed, the unknown ones move in, and it is they that are likely to attack you. Incidents of dogs biting human beings are rare. It generally happens that two or three dogs are fighting, and a child walks up to them and becomes the victim of their fury. Killing is not going to get rid of them. A systematic birth control drive is the only solution."
The PMC claims that it is doing its bit to keep the population of strays at bay. "There are 20,000 to 25,000 stray dogs in the city. We are working as per the government gazette and using animal birth control to control the population of stray dogs. We catch the dog, get it operated upon and leave it back in the same locality. The rabies problem had been on the decline. There have been only two deaths due to rabies last year," says Dr Thakur.
But Dr Arun Aher, veterinary physician and surgeon, Blue Cross Society of Pune, an animal rescue centre, says that though the number of stray dogs in the city is under control, there is more room to curb the problem. "Blue Cross operated upon 22,000 dogs for birth control from 1994 till date. Animal Farm has also operated upon 4,000 to 5,000 dogs. SPCA is another organisation working on the same problem. We have a facility to operate upon 250 to 300 dogs per month. But, we get to operate only 100 dogs per month, as the PMC doesn't bring in enough dogs everyday for whatever reason," he says.
Dr Thakur, on the other hand, explains his department's limitations. "We have 15 workers and three vans doing the rounds of the city. Sometimes due to problems like palkhi or servicing of the van, we cannot catch enough dogs. Otherwise, we are doing the best we can."
Like Dr Sucheta, Dr Aher feels that the best way to tackle the growing numbers of stray dogs is to go for the birth control drive. He also suggests spreading awareness among the locals. "Cleanliness is very important. Uncovered dirty dustbins and garbage lying around is the root cause of infections among stray dogs, which in turn, pass them on to humans . People should be aware of the importance of cleanliness , and getting the stray dogs in their area sterilised." As for why the dogs chase bikes and cars, Dr Aher asserts, "When the dogs don't get dropped off at the same location that they were picked up from for the operation, it affects them mentally. This is when they do things likes chasing bikes and cars."
So, when a dog chases you, don't be paranoid lest you may hurt yourself, slow down and if you are fortunate, the dog will leave you.
punetimes@timesgroup .com