CANID SHOTS

A dog may be man's best friend, but a spate of canine attacks in India in recent months have sort of undone that adage for many.

- Jumana Shah

A handful of states-Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh-had thus far been the source of most stray dog attack headlines in India. But three recent incidents have put the spotlight on yet another state: Gujarat. In October, Parag Desai, the executive director of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, lost his life due to a brain haemorrhage he suffered when he tripped while trying to escape some dogs in Ahmedabad. A month later, in November, stray canines attacked a two-year-old outside his house in the Juhapura area of the city. The very next day, another four-year-old child playing outside his house in Surat was struck by dogs. Both children suffered multiple injuries but were saved by passersby. These incidents came just months after dogs mauled a two-year-old child in Morbi to death.