Dogged by strays

The other day I was walking through a dark alley (at around 9.30-10 pm) on my way to a stationery shop. I felt as though someone from behind was scratching on my right shoulder. And to my horror I found that it was actually the paw of a stray dog. I was shaken by fear. The stray then started barking and snarling menacingly at me.

I immediately groped in the dark for the nearest pebble and threw at it and, out of sheer panic, widely missed the target. The folks at the stationery store also happened to see my predicament and shooed away the canine. Just then a person came, probably the 'keeper' of the stray, and was complaining as to how dare I throw stones at his beloved doggie!

Like any other Indian city Bangalore has its generous share of stray dogs, but I doubt whether their four-legged cousins in other cities enjoy such a strong constituency among humans as in this city. It is a common sight to see people treating them with biscuits and even fondling them. This is despite the fact that there have been repeated instances of attacks (often fatally) on small children by these four-legged denizens.

Every attack on kids raises the tempo of debate and media spotlight on stray dog menace. The city fathers swing into action and order dog culling. Once culling begins, pictures (in very graphic details) gets splashed in newspapers and TV channels and that in turn draws howls of indignation from 'animal lovers' groups. Culling stops, things come to a standstill and the issue of proliferating strays gets forgotten till another attack takes place.

Among animal lovers there are some incorrigible romantics whose stand towards strays is akin to that of Indian state's approach towards Ajmal Kasab or Afzal Guru.

Sterilisation seems to be the only humane (though time consuming) and credible option but, despite claims from municipal authorities, I think it is being done with as much zest as family planning programmes for humans in BIMARU states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh). Thanks to such a tepid response, newly-born litters squealing and gamboling near garbage heaps (one big reason for attracting strays) is a very common sight.

As for incorrigible romantics I mentioned before, a visit to the family of those kids injured or killed by dog attacks would be a very sobering experience.

Or even better they take up some jobs that involves night shifts and go back home, well after midnight, on bicycles or maybe take a cab and get down one or two stops before their destination and walk down the rest of distance through small lanes. The goose bumps they would get on being chased by dogs would be a chastening experience.

Also Read: Random Jottings