Opinion | Myths about Indie (community) dogs

All indie dogs are mad:

Rabies is a viral disease. Surely, not every dog on every road in India has rabies. Also, there is no evidence to state that Indie dogs are aggressive as such. They are only protective; like every living being should be. They are bound to get angry when we hurt them or interfere in their lives. It is essential self-defence. This can, to no extent, be presumed as a dangerous trait. Media never leaves an opportunity to project indie dogs as vile, ruthless creatures hungry for your blood. What is the basis for these claims? Cases of dog bites? By that analogy, we should be declared the most dangerous species on the planet unanimously. No news of stray dogs being mauled and poisoned to death makes it to the trending section. This steers to us believe that stray dogs are enjoying their lives on the street, killing people for fun. That isn't true. If the travesty written about India's street dogs across the media is true, they would be ruling the planet. But all they do is toil for one meal a day and escape stones and sticks.

Any indie dog bite causes rabies:

Not all dog bites or animal bites cause rabies. Only being bitten by a rabid animal causes rabies. Which dog is rabid and which isn't, is something only a veterinarian can tell. It is easy to declare any dog as mad/rabid/bad and attack it in the name of "protecting" the community from rabies. But rabies is not what we think. Barking a lot, being hyperactive, growling, chasing or even biting doesn't certify that a dog is rabid. Killing dogs in large numbers for the fear of rabies is outright criminal behaviour.

Rabies is vaccine-preventable. The articles and posts that elaborate on how stray dogs are spreading rabies, conveniently ignore this part. Dogs can and should be vaccinated against rabies. Any other means adopted in the name of rabies control is illegal and inhumane. 

Killing, relocating or locking up dogs does nought in making India rabies-free. We need a program that includes planning, implementation and review, like for the eradication of any disease. Numerous dogs are tortured and murdered only because they are categorised as "mad dogs" by veterinarians from Whatsapp University. Ask them to define a mad dog and they will list out the qualities of a dog. That's it.

Indie dogs can't be pets:

There is evidence to show that Indie dogs make better pets in reality (not on Instagram, though). It is a no-brainer that Indian dogs are well-suited for the Indian climate so they adjust to any weather condition easily. Their diet, lifestyle and everything that comes from genetics are adapted to living in India. They need hardly any grooming and have excellent natural immunity (that doesn't imply we neglect their health, please). Many people including celebrities have adopted Indies as pets. Each dog is different. Each breed has its own requirements. Adopting an indie dog not only reduces the human-animal conflict but is also an act of kindness and acceptance. While we talk about equality in all spheres all day long, we shun Indie dogs only because they don't look like the ones trending on social media. We are proud of our country's culture, heritage and businesses but our native dogs are met with disgust. They always lose a chance of survival against the furry, expensive, imported dogs.

Talking about imports, several Indian dogs got adopted by families abroad and are living their best life now, in the other half of the world. While it is heartwarming to see their stories, it is a pity and shame that they couldn't find any home in India, the country they were born in. 

Indie dogs are dirty:

Anybody would be if they spent their days on the roads. I was told countless times that I shouldn't go closer to the dogs I feed as they may be carrying diseases. It becomes our collective responsibility to get them vaccinated as I said earlier. If we keep our surroundings obnoxiously dirty and filthy, if our roads are home to disease-carrying microorganisms, the dogs are bound to be vulnerable. Is it their mistake that they were born near an odious drain? Is it their choice to carry viruses and bacteria? If anything, we should feel guilty for all the weaker species that are agonized by the pollution we create. The so-called dirty dogs aren't accountable for the state of the planet today; we are. If our definition of 'dirty' insinuates being born in a certain place or in certain conditions, then nothing is dirtier than that mindset.

Indie dogs don't have the qualities that my breeder coaxed me with:

Breeders may have told you that dogs of a particular breed are very good with kids or perfectly suitable for your lifestyle. Now, they have to sell their product because they run a business. They may have heaped praises of their dogs - something which animal rescuers and shelters never did. Because, for us, dogs aren't products. They are family. At the outset, one may feel that buying a dog is better than adoption because the breeder assured them of a "superior quality". But, what is an inferior quality dog? Are we talking about buying a refrigerator or a laptop? If you still believe that a breeder is doing a great service to the animal world, please ask them how many times they impregnate each female dog. Where are their old dogs, especially females, that can't make puppies anymore? If your breeder is an "ethical" one, why does he promote one breed of dogs over the others? We read multiple reviews and interview a few friends before going to eat at a particular place or watch a particular movie. If only we did the same amount of research before buying a dog. 

Indie dogs should be left outside the city by the municipality:

And then? What? Internet is rife with people demanding that their local municipality relocate their dogs and leave them 'outside.' Firstly, it is illegal to relocate a dog in India. Yes, you read it right. You can't grab a street dog on the road and push it outside. Outside what? If we leave all the dogs from our high-class communities outside the city, would it be any fair towards the people living in the suburbs? This is a typical classist attitude - not caring about the problems others might face due to one's privilege. Imagine waking up to find ten befuddled dogs outside your house because some Richie Rich pushed out the dogs from their area. That is what happens due to the relocation of dogs. Leaving dogs in another area, wherever it is, increases the dog population of that area tremendously. The bigger problem is that these dogs are territorial in nature. They fight aggressively with the inhabitant dogs there, for space and survival. Relocating dogs out of your community doesn't solve anything. It only displays people's self-centrism and gross dearth of civic sense. 

People shouldn't be feeding indie dogs:

Again, this is illegal. You cannot legally stop, threaten or harass a person caring for street dogs in India. 

Anyone who reads the news knows that feeders are beaten, their belongings damaged and their families mentally harassed - all because they want to give the dogs one square meal a day. You may have seen the fights between feeders and abusers dragged to the high courts and the supreme court (unless your news source is your WhatsApp groups). In a country with this level of hatred towards an animal, adoption seems to be a distant dream. If people are willing to go to court only to stop a dog from eating food, do we have any hope left? Our courts have ruled time and again that street dogs have the right to live. The most recent order talks about five fundamental freedoms every animal is entitled to. Still, the cases of abuse of dog feeders and frivolous petitions to restrict feeding don't seem to end - unwarranted additions to the lakhs of issues pending already. Every person has not only liberty but a fundamental duty to be kind to animals. Denying them the right to do so is an insult to the values our country prides itself in - peace and non-violence.

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