Have you seen stray dogs wandering around in the streets? Have you seen them scattering the leftovers in the garbage in search of food? Have you ever been afraid to show them affection due to the fear of catching diseases? Have you seen strays getting hit by stones and other harmful objects by both adults and kids when they go near them? Have you yourself done so?
There are 900 million dogs in the World and according to WHO 200 million of them are stray dogs. While only 1 out of 10 dogs will find a permanent home, 75%-85% out of the total population of dogs remains as free-ranging dogs. Every year due to the absence of room in creature sanctuaries and adoptive homes to embrace dogs, 2.7 million dogs are being killed. In the US alone 1.2 million stray dogs are being killed from road accidents. And the numbers keep on increasing every minute… Together can we bring a change in these numbers? Can we help these dogs? YES, we can.
Strays are animals who doesn’t have a permanent place to live in. Sick, injuries, messy, hurtful, brutal are a portion of words which could strike a chord when we consider strays. This attitude that we have towards strays are mistaken. Strays are beautiful creatures who need love and a family to live with. They are not wild animals who are aggressive and are diseased, all they need is the feeling of love and care which we as a community can provide.
One day I saw a set of little boys playing cricket on the side of the road. There was a stray living nearby whose leg and an eye was injured severely. The boys attempted to chase her utilizing the bat and the ball and hit the dog with stones which made her bleed heavily. As the dog tried to protect herself, she barked aggressively and chased after the boys. I noticed as the children left, the dog was bleeding heavily. As blood ran down across her face it dripped to the ground and she was laying on the hot sand painfully. I was reluctant to go close to her to help due to the fear of her biting me. We often forget that animals have feelings just like humans. Strays can feel happiness, sadness, anger and most importantly affection. No stray animal should be treated in this inhuman manner. If strays come out to the sunlight and are seen in the eyes of people, the people mistreat them. Is it fair we let that happen? We as a community can step together in-order to stop such behaviour from taking place further. They might bark and act aggressive towards us, it is not because they are harmful and are dangerous but because they feel unsafe. We can gain their trust by protecting them, feeding them and showing them affection.
We see stray dogs wandering around the road almost every day when we step outside, we see them scattering the garbage, we see them eating unpalatable food, we see them drinking mucky water on the streets, this is because it is their way of filling their hunger which helps them to barely survive. There is no one to give them their day to day meals like we are been provided by our Parents and by earnings. We throw remaining food after eating, we waste food and water but instead, we can feed these beautiful animals. If there is excess food remaining, without throwing it find a stray and feed them. By doing so we will be able to help them and not let them suffer from hunger. By providing food for at least one stray, we can save them from dying due to malnutrition.
In today’s busy world, we constantly see accidents taking place either due to the heavy traffic or due to inattentiveness of what’s happening on the road. According to research, one million animals are being killed on road each day and most of them are stays. Most of them end up with broken legs, lacerations and injuries. Some strays could find it hard to cross roads faster either due to malnutrition, injuries or due to other issues. Therefore, when we see them crossing the road, we as responsible citizens can reduce the speed of the vehicle and let them cross by. Also looking at the rear mirror before braking, turning on signals and setting to the parking brake could help save their lives. We also must pay close attention to the strays who are loitering on the road to protect them and prevent such accidents from taking place.
Most of the stray animals are being brutally injured, due to the lack of medical attention towards them, the injuries get infected and causes death. These helpless animals need recovery on their wounds and diseases to live a healthy life. We find strays injured and infected most of the time. Do we take any action to heal them and save their lives? Or do we overlook them realizing they need assistance? If you see a stray who is suffering from a broken leg, looks diseased or has any other injuries who need medical attention, it is your duty as a responsible individual to call a veterinarian. By doing this you can help the stray by reducing their agony and distress while saving their life.
If you notice a stray looking lonely and unhappy, it is appropriate to call the animal control to find them a place to live in. You can adopt a stray animal from an animal shelter to help them find a lovely family. Stray animals are creatures who deserve to be loved and cared. Stray dogs, if treated right could be loyal, caring and a best friend that you cannot live without. They do feel emotions and will be there will you throughout life. Therefore, by adopting one, without brutally abusing them or encouraging others you can stand together to stop such abuse, not leaving them to suffer in hunger by providing them food, being responsible on the road to prevent strays getting hit by cars and by providing them with medical support that they need without neglecting them when you find out they are diseased and injured can improve the welfare of these beautiful stray animals.
Rtr. Sonia Pinto
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