Stray dogs: No child should fear and no dog should suffer

Bengaluru: The Supreme Court’s recent directive to clear stray dogs from Delhi’s streets within eight weeks has reignited a fierce debate, one that Bengaluru can no longer ignore. The court cited rising dog bite and rabies cases, warning against re-releasing strays into public spaces. Karnataka’s numbers are alarming.

Between January and August 2025, the state recorded 2.86 lakh dog bite cases and 26 suspected rabies deaths, an average of over 6,500 bites every week. Bengaluru alone saw 13,831 bites in just six months this year. Behind these figures are children mauled on their way to school, elderly residents knocked down and sanitation workers attacked while doing their job.

Yet, talk of “compassion” often dominates the conversation, with some insisting strays be allowed to roam. But life on the street for a dog is not freedom, it is a brutal existence marked by disease, hunger, injury, and abuse. For humans, it’s fear and, in too many cases, preventable death. Compassion without so lutions helps neither.

Bengaluru is nowhere near ready to implement Delhi’s model. The BBMP runs just seven Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, with no permanent, large capacity dog shelters. Timelines to remove and house all strays are unrealistic without massive investment in infrastructure, sterilisation drives, vaccination campaigns, and trained staff.

This is not about choosing between dogs and humans. It is about rejecting false binaries and designing humane, work able solutions. That starts with: lScaling up ABC and anti-rabies vaccination to curb population growth and prevent disease. lBuilding well-equipped shelters with proper food, medical care, and space, alongside designated community feeding zones to reduce territorial aggression.

lPublic awareness campaigns in schools and vulnerable neighbourhoods about dog behaviour, first-aid for bites, and immediate medical treatment. Data-driven targeting of high-bite zones such as Bommanahalli and Bengaluru South for priority action. Every unvaccinated bite is a potential death sentence.

Every child attacked is a policy failure. Every dog dying of starvation or infection is a moral failure. We cannot sentimentalise a public safety crisis, nor can we respond with hasty orders that collapse in execution. Bengaluru must craft its own roadmap, rooted in science, backed by resources, and driven by com passion that protects both peo ple and animals.

No child should fear walking to school. No dog should suffer on the streets. Anything less is unacceptable.