SHILLONG: Residents of some city localities have raised concerns over stray dogs saying they are often “hostile” and disturb peace in the localities.
Narrating an incident, a resident said a Class X student from Rilbong Zigzag area made a narrow escape last week after encountering a “hostile stray dog”. The student had to take shelter in a nearby garage in order to avoid the dog.
Residents of Rilbong, Kench’s Trace, Last Stop and other localities of Greater Laban say such incidents occur quite often. Pedestrians too face difficulty.
According to many, this as an annual winter phenomenon when stray dogs tend to become more ferocious and are prone to attacking nearby people.
Many are of the view that India is a land of a high number of stray animals and the sight of many stray dogs in various parts of the city testifies to this.
The regular nightlong howling of dogs and brawls is another issue plaguing local residents.
Others like early morning joggers may well forget to wear their tracksuit but do not fail to carry a stick or a rod with them, whereas cyclists carry marbles or stones in their pockets to ward off dogs.
A concerned citizen and dog lover from Rilbong pointed out that some morning walkers come out with sticks and some parents teach their wards that all strays are dangerous.
“Instead of sticks, morning walkers can buy a small packet of biscuit, which will cost them only Rs 10, and throw biscuits if he/she thinks a dog is “menacingly” near him or her. And parents, instead of adding to the several myths which we grow up with should be honest and teach their wards that this world is for all creatures, including stray animals and footpath dwellers, and that they should respect everyone’s space”, she said.
About howlings and aggressiveness of dogs mating season, she said, “Howling is the way of communication for dogs and we often cannot shut up screaming people creating nuisance.
During mating season, dogs do get aggressive but they fight only among themselves. They do not attack humans unless they disturb mating dogs,” she said.
For those who love to take their pets out, many end up scrambling in an attempt to defend their own from the loitering howlers, complained residents and added that those on four-wheelers and two-wheelers also find it awkward when dogs chase them too.
“They are not a nuisance. They are cold and they need shelter. They retaliate only when they get irritated and it varies according to the situation,” said an animal activist when asked to speak on the matter.
Tash Mawlong, founder and president of Stray Animal Rescue Society said dogs should not be treated as dangerous.
“I have been dealing with strays for the last 18 years and all dogs cannot be termed as aggressive. Some people throw food outside and this attracts many strays which should be discouraged. If there are strays on the road, we just have to ignore them and walk. We need to work along with headmen to take steps to vaccinate dogs to protect them from rabies. We are planning annual birth control initiative to bring down aggression. For this, we are trying to get a place to shelter the dogs in the city,” the activist added.
The authorities, especially the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) are also to blame for the mess.
There are responses that the SMB is not at all equipped to control these dogs whereas the state government here does not have any census of strays which lurk around garbage bins, alleyways, street corners and poles. There are opinions that like humans, stray animals have every right to live. The bitter man-canine conflict here has not reached the alarming nuisance level although there are opinions citing the Supreme Court’s observations that dogs cannot become a ‘menace to society’ and their killing is unacceptable.
When contacted, officials from the state government said till date, the city does not have a shelter home for dogs even as officials added that the dog ‘menace’ is prevalent in all other cities as well.
Officials also said authorities usually pick up dogs and sterilise them when they receive complaints.
The resident of Rilbong, who looks after a few strays, said the government should look at its own faults first before calling dogs a menace.
“There is a Supreme Court order on shelter homes for animals. Has the state followed that? The vet hospital in Shillong has no provision for admission of animals. Has the government done anything? In fact, the government and insensitive citizens are the biggest menace,” she said.
