The decision to send stray dogs to isolated shelters has been put on hold after massive protests erupted in several cities. The order is only suspended for now, and if public pressure fades, it will likely be enforced once the hold is lifted.

India’s Supreme Court has directed authorities in Delhi and its suburbs to move all stray dogs from streets to isolated "shelters". The court cited concerns over rising cases of “dog bites leading to rabies” and gave an eight-week deadline to complete the operation.

Following reports of increasing dog bites in Delhi and other major cities, the court ordered multiple shelters to be built across Delhi and surrounding areas, each capable of housing at least 5,000 dogs. These shelters must have sterilisation and vaccination facilities, as well as CCTV monitoring. This, let's be honest, is a very unrealistic approach and the agenda behind this is very clear. 

The court also ruled that sterilised dogs must not be released back into public areas, despite existing rules requiring their return to their original location. A helpline for reporting dog bites and rabies cases must also be set up within one week.

Animal welfare groups strongly criticised the directive, saying the timeline is unrealistic. Activists argue the key question is not simply the number of dogs, but why dog bites are so high in India compared to other countries with large stray populations.

The thing is people of India and Pakistan genuinely despise animals and think of them as lesser beings. Those who deserve mistreatment and hatred. Widespread abuse in the subcontinent, where stray animals are often pelted with stones, beaten, burned, or thrown from buildings. This abuse makes the animals fearful for their lives and more likely to attack in self-defence. In contrast, in countries such as Turkey and Iraq where strays are not routinely abused, attacks on humans are far less common despite large populations of street dogs.

Animal rights advocates warn that sending dogs to far-off shelters is effectively a “death sentence”. In just weeks it is impossible to construct proper facilities, vaccinate, and sterilise such large numbers. Instead, the fear is that millions of dogs will be moved to secluded locations where they may be starved or mass killed. An even crazier rule is that adoption from these shelters has also been banned.

In countries like Pakistan and India, where rapists, murderers, and drug lords walk freely, it is absurd to claim dogs are the greater threat. For most women, a man following them in the street is far more terrifying than any stray dog.

Globally, the only proven humane and effective method for controlling stray populations is “vaccinate, sterilise, and release.”

This approach is accepted worldwide because it controls population without cruelty, prevents rabies by creating herd immunity, and stabilises territories so that new unvaccinated dogs cannot move in. Countries like Turkey and Brazil have successfully reduced stray populations and dog bite cases using this method, without resorting to mass killing. It is also cheaper in the long term compared to constant capture and confinement.

Animal shelter owners in India have reported incidents of arson and the forced removal of dogs from their care. Activists stress that even under Indian law, these mass removals without due process are illegal and go against established animal protection rules.

The issue aren’t animals. The issue are humans and their cruelty towards those innocent animals that dare sit on their roads and search for food in their garbage. Let us take this as a sign and become better humans who are kind and sympathetic for those who are voiceless.