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Stray dog menace
Written By murali772 - 14 June, 2011
Bangalore BBMP Citizen Reports Living public health
This past Saturday (11th June) morning, my son left home on his mobike at around 4.45, and as he was turning into the Shinivagilu village road, past the Ganesha temple (S T Bed layout), a pack of stray dogs attacked him. He dodged them and rode along, even as a few kept chasing. One of them took a snipe at his foot, even biting through his shoe, drawing blood. He then used his footballing skills to land a few kicks on a some of them, even while riding along, after which they withdrew.
He was headed to meet some friends in Indiranagar, and together they went to the AXON 24-hr clinic on 12th main, where he was given an inoculation each of anti-rabies (Verorab) and anti-tetanus vaccines. He has to have four more of the anti-rabies inoculations over the week. Being a 25 year-old, and enjoying fairly good health, he could generally take it all in his stride, though the side effects of the medications have caused him to miss work over the last two days.
There are stary dogs all over the layout, and I thought they had generally adopted a live and let live policy with the human beings. Also, even as the city as well as the country had been hotly debating the issue since long, I had generally taken a very neutral stand, particular with my daughter being an animal lover. But, this sudden vicious attack, has made me do a re-think on the policy.
My son is in fact talking of applying to the BBMP Commissioner for a gun license tackle the menace, if they themselves can't contain it. Having been at the receiving end, I can quite understand his frame of mind.
Muralidhar Rao
COMMENTS
Reasons for chasing to be found out and also the remedy
dvsquare - 14 June, 2011 - 13:25
@Murali Sir,
I am also kind of neutral on this issue mostly, but sometimes knowing of various scenes like this, I would really like to see some action, not in terms of killing those dogs or removing those dogs, but to find out what causes dogs to chase any car or bike? Is that the normal reaction of a normal dog? Or Do they do intentionally because of some reason sometime because of their bad eating habbiits or whatever?
Many times, I have also observed that simply standing group of dogs suddenly starts chasing and barking on the vehicles passig by, and they stop as you slow down or stop the vehicle. The behaviour is normal or something else? We also have a few meat shops in ST Bed, Are they helping those dogs to behave in this manner (after eating old or waste meat or whatever?)
We need to find out and then solve this issue all over the city.
Deepak
idontspam - 14 June, 2011 - 14:06
I have been chronicling the impotence (pun intended) of BBMP in tackling this issue here. Will they only do work if it comes thru a PIL? THey have to be taken off the streets! Period! All other observations/experiments can be conducted in the cozy confines of the PETA dog farm
idontspam - 15 June, 2011 - 02:48
Keeping dogs inside the house and maintaining hygeine is difficult, and I do not see the effort is worth it. So the most optimal place for the dogs are streets
Pretty much sums up the average mentality. It is difficult for me, not worth my time so let the rest of the public bear the cost of my fancy for animals. I am surprised the rest of the world doesnt find dogs growing on streets feeding on unhygenic filth & plastics as natural, "optimal" & an "elagant" solution
DOG MENACE - NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM BBMP
prabhu58 - 15 June, 2011 - 04:19
We have been facing dog menace problem in Jayanagr 9th block, either during walking or riding two wheeler. Despite giving complaints to BBMP, no action has been taken so far. Thru praja in can we take coplaints to BBMP for urgent action?
Prabhu,Jayanagar 9th block
abidpqa - 14 June, 2011 - 18:05
Dogs like to be around people. Keeping dogs inside the house and maintaining hygeine is difficult, and I do not see the effort is worth it. So the most optimal place for the dogs are streets and many people are happy to have the dogs on the street. Perhaps, I have this opinion because dogs have not attacked me.
But BBMP is not doing enough to maintain a balance. All street dogs should be neutered and vaccinated. The average life of dog on the street is about 4 years (from a DNA column). Then if large percent of dogs are neutered their population would drastically reduce in a very short time.
As mentioned above, there should be more sophisticated efforts to understand the behavior of dogs, on why they attack etc. There should be emergency response team who could understand the behavior of dogs and control the situation, which may include veterinarians who understand animal psychology. We should solve these problems more elegantly.
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