A video from Greater Noida showing community dogs being caught with nets and taken away has sparked outrage and divided opinions online. In the footage, dogs can be heard crying as animal-catching teams remove them, reportedly following complaints from a Residents' Welfare Association (RWA) under the "aggressive dog" clause.
The incident has reignited concerns among animal welfare advocates, who questioned whether the dogs had been properly assessed before being labelled aggressive.
Questions over ‘aggressive’ classification
Sharing the video, animal lovers alleged that a troubling pattern has emerged in some Noida and Greater Noida housing societies. According to the post, community dogs are sometimes provoked, beaten or harassed before later being branded as attackers to justify their removal.
The post questioned the basis of the action, asking, "Who declared these dogs aggressive? Where are they being taken? A grievance is not a behavioural assessment."
It further stressed that dogs picked up for sterilisation or vaccination programmes deserve humane treatment and urged authorities to ensure that animal-catching staff are properly trained in welfare-friendly handling techniques.
Calls for compassionate handling
Animal welfare supporters maintained that sterilisation and vaccination drives are important for both public safety and animal welfare, but argued that the process must be carried out with dignity and compassion.
The post added, "A truly progressive society is measured by how it treats those who cannot speak for themselves," calling on authorities and residents to work together to ensure community dogs are treated with kindness and respect.
Social media reacts
The video triggered strong reactions online.
One user wrote, "no wonder noida and greater noida is facing so many problems. the housing societies are full of animal haters and everyday I pray they face worse than what they do our street kiddos. someday God will make them pay. i hope i am alive to see it and laugh. karme kick them please.."
Another commented, "Please get this guys trained first. I can’t even watch 10 secs of the video. Again the video maker should have stop this. WTF India??"
However, others defended the procedure. One user said, "Toh kya red carpet leke bicha de inke liye gaadi tak ? Ya alladin ka kaleen leke aaye inke liye ? Aur kitna kindness n respect chaiye ? Net catching is a legal technique.. aya bara compassion ka lecture jharane wala."
The incident has once again highlighted the ongoing debate between animal welfare concerns and residents' safety complaints in urban housing societies.
