The Plight of India’s Abandoned Dogs

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Image: Shrenik Rao / 7MB
Pet owners are increasingly turning on their dogs and abandoning them. How do household pets adapt to the harsh life of the streets?

I first met Bittoo under the mango tree near our house. He was with a bunch of boys, two of them his owners. I didn’t notice him at first, as I stood at a distance feeding some stray dogs. Before long, there was commotion and I realized that the biscuits I was flinging at my regular dog squad were being intercepted mid-air by a lithe interloper.  The intruder was Bittoo; he had made his way to our side of the street and now wanted everyone’s share.

I was puzzled: Who is he? Why is he taking their food? He was wearing a blue collar, and was definitely a pet – aren’t pets usually well-fed?

Image: Anusha NarainA couple of days later, the same sequence played out on a different street. Another time he came to my home looking for biscuits. I wondered again why does he keep coming for food? Is he not being fed properly at home?

In the next few days, Bittoo became more visible around my house. He began displaying dominance over other strays and slowly encroached upon their territory. Soon, he was bunking outside my home most of the time. But he is a pet with a home, so why is he on the street?



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