MAKING ENEMIES OF BEST FRIENDS

THREE things have survived in India through the ages: poverty, gold, and dogs. Through the ravages and miseries that this country specialises in and perpetuates, the triad has stood its ground.

- C P SURENDRAN

Poverty remains reassuringly present from the Vedic age to now. The value of gold endures as well. And without dogs, even the Mahabharata is incomplete. From this list of Indian eternals, dogs will soon be removed—for ill-thought-out reasons.

The Supreme Court’s order on November 7 directing the removal and indefinite sequestration of stray dogs from institutional areas—schools, hospitals, stations, and government buildings—is a counterproductive attempt to prioritise human safety. Indefinite, for example, means what? A lifetime? For all time to come if their offspring are taken into account? The order will not deliver what it aims for.

By commanding that dogs not be released back to their original territories after sterilisation and vaccination, the ruling overrides the scientifically validated principle of territorial return mandated by the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.

Street dogs are integral to India’s urban ecosystem. They act as essential, unbudgeted pest controllers, scavenging organic waste and managing rodent populations—a service that mitigates the risk of diseases like leptospirosis. They provide security and companionship. To forcibly uproot them is to betray the evolutionary trust of these sentient beings.

The true cruelty of the order lies in the long-term effects of sequestration. Relocating dogs to overcrowded, underfunded shelters disrupts their territorial stability, inducing extreme stress and behavioural changes. Experts warn that isolation in such facilities, often characterised by excessive noise and limited exercise, elevates cortisol levels and fosters aggression.