By Nivedyta Khanna and Janhavi Sharma:
It was recently reported that the residents of Agathiyar Nagar in Chennai created an army of stray dogs that act as bahadurs (watch guards) to protect them from thieves and burglars. By doing so, the residents did away with the general perception that stray dogs are a nuisance. The residents of Agathiyar Nagar decided to be kind towards the dogs.
How Did The Residents Create An Army Of Strays?
There weren’t any stray dogs in the locality until three years before they started doing this activity. But Meena Vasudevan, a resident of the locality, started feeding some nearby strays and became compassionate towards them.
She said, “There were no dogs here three years back. But one or two came in 2015, and I started feeding them. Slowly, the pack grew, and now we have around five to six stray dogs. We feed them regularly and train them.”
The residents said that they realized that when the dogs were there, thefts in the area reduced. We then made the decision to call the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to get the dogs vaccinated and sterilized.
Another Chennai resident said, “Many bike parts were stolen in the dead of the night. Some men would also consume alcohol in front of our houses, and it was a nuisance. All these issues have stopped since we adopted the strays. We feel a lot safer. And the dogs are extremely friendly, they haven’t harmed anyone.”
It is a well-known fact that dogs are loyal to the people they associate with. When the residents started feeding them, the dogs developed a bond and a sense of belonging with these humans and are now protective of them.
Another resident said, “They don’t chase everyone passing by. They only chase those who drive rashly.”
Why Should We Take Care Of The Strays?
Due to the recent increase in popularity of pedigree dogs, and people’s failure to take care of them, many stray dogs that we see now are actually abandoned pets or those that have bred with pedigrees.
There have been instances where people have tied light-reflecting radium bands around stray dogs’ necks to protect them from road accidents. It was also reported that the residents of Noida wrapped strays in old clothes to keep them warm last month.
If we take such initiatives on individual and organizational levels, the lives of stray dogs will definitely become easier.