SC's Stray Dog Directive Sparks Concern Over ABC Programme & Student-Animal Bonds

Way back in 1998, two street dogs were adopted from the Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) by a school in Mumbai. Coco and Bongo lived there for the rest of their lives, loved by the students. Caring for these dogs was a living lesson in empathy and learnings were immense… of values of compassion, responsibility and caring. Hundreds of schools and educational institutions have community dogs that live peacefully on their campuses.

These dogs have been sterilised, vaccinated, named and cared for by the staff and students. The latest Supreme Court order of removing dogs from certain categories of institutions, including schools and colleges, not only frustrates the hard work of the NGOs in the implementation of the animal birth control (ABC) programme but will also lead to a feeling of loss and detachment amongst the students who would have formed strong bonds and emotional connect with the dogs.

As most of these dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated, their removal would encourage new, unknown dogs from outside to occupy the vacuum created. The same principle holds good for other categories of institutions. A living example of the vacuum theory was clearly seen during Covid when the municipal corporation picked up all the 22 dogs from a municipal hospital and brought them to WSD. This was a knee jerk response to a myth that dogs spread Covid.

The dogs were returned after three months but in the meantime, new non-sterilised dogs entered the hospital and the number rose to 30. Later, when we sterilised all the new dogs, the number over time went down to 12. It would have been lower if the original sterilised dogs were not picked up in the first place. This is exactly what would happen if these dogs are removed and sent into ‘designated shelters’ which, by the way, simply do not exist. We understand the Hon’ble Court’s concern for public safety and protecting children but removal of community dogs would not be the solution. Research has repeatedly shown (including the hospital example given above) that it does not solve the problem of bites or population growth.

The solutions lie in:

1) Strengthening the ABC programme and instead an order from the Supreme Court to implement, continuously monitor and fix accountability would help in replicating the success stories of Goa, Jaipur, Sikkim, Chennai and Mumbai in every city, town and district in India.

2) A massive and impactful education and awareness campaign to be carried out in schools and colleges regarding safe behaviour around dogs, rabies and dog bite prevention and animal empathy.

3) A 100% dog rabies vaccination coverage, proper post-exposure response and health-based surveillance. Just as we cannot judge actions of a few people and condemn all, it is unfair to condemn every dog and relegate him/her to a shelter. We hope this order is rescinded by the Hon’ble Court taking into account its impracticality, ineffectiveness and non-implementability.

Abodh Aras is the Chief Executive Officer of The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), a pioneering Mumbai-based animal welfare NGO. With over two and a half decades of dedicated leadership, Abodh has played a key role in transforming how the city approaches the care and management of its street dog population. A former corporate professional himself, Abodh brings a unique perspective on how compassion, civic engagement, and professional management can come together to create lasting social change. He has written a book, My City, My Dogs which introduces children to the street dogs of Mumbai. He was a recipient of The Rotary Club of Bombay's Social Service Award in 2024 and the Free Press Journal's Angels of Mumbai Award in 2025.

Published on: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 11:05 AM IST