I remember in my childhood in Thiruvananthapuram where I used to
be chased by stray dogs when I went cycling near my house. Then you have no way
out but pedal as fast as possible so that it won’t catch up with you. There is a
famous joke which appeared in Reader’s Digest at that time. Someone sees a
neighbor rushing and he says he has to catch the 4.30 Mail. “If you see my bulldog you will catch the 4.15
express.”
How much adrenalin is pumped during such times when we face
a ‘fight or flight’ situation? Now the
newspapers, television and social media is full of news about stray dogs and
how it is becoming a menace to society.
(Photo Courtesy: www.kochousephchittilapilly.com)
These are the people fighting the issue out in the streets:
1) Maneka Gandhi , a union minister (for women and child development and nothing to do with animals!), animal lovers and ofcourse,Ranjini Haridas, a leading TV personality.
2) Kochouseph Chittilapilly, successful industrialist and
philanthropist who believes a man’s life is more precious than the canine’s.
Most of the majority including the government seems to be
onlookers in this fight.
There is some truth in what Kochouseph Chittilapilly’s argument that a powerful lobby led by pharma companies producing anti-rabies vaccine may be in the forefront supporting the animal rights group. Recently, our pet dog Zoe (Dasch) while playing bit my daughter Diyah’s fingers. We had taken Rabipur injection of one year validity for the pet and our Vet assured that there is nothing to worry. But since there was a wound we took her to the nearest private hospital and there the doc suggested we take five doses of Rabipur and also Human immuno globin which costs Rs 7000 or more. He said vaccines are not stored properly and there is a chance that my pet dog may have rabies.
Imagine if it were a stray dog that bit my daughter, how much will these hospitals extract from you capitalizing on our fear?
There is some truth in what Kochouseph Chittilapilly’s argument that a powerful lobby led by pharma companies producing anti-rabies vaccine may be in the forefront supporting the animal rights group. Recently, our pet dog Zoe (Dasch) while playing bit my daughter Diyah’s fingers. We had taken Rabipur injection of one year validity for the pet and our Vet assured that there is nothing to worry. But since there was a wound we took her to the nearest private hospital and there the doc suggested we take five doses of Rabipur and also Human immuno globin which costs Rs 7000 or more. He said vaccines are not stored properly and there is a chance that my pet dog may have rabies.
Imagine if it were a stray dog that bit my daughter, how much will these hospitals extract from you capitalizing on our fear?
But Maneka Gandhi and people like Ranjini Haridas whether
they are funded by any lobby or not are out of sync with reality. There are
people who have been bitten once by a stray dog and perpetually in fear of the canines.
How gruesome it is to be bitten by a
dog? How many of these animal lovers have suffered it?
The Solution
Some suggest sterilization of stray dogs, but that doesn’t
address the issue of rabies. Some others advice killing them mercilessly
whether infected or not.
The solution lies in setting up more animal shelters,
killing only those badly infected and letting people adopt them after proper
medical examination and certification. Not all people like the canines but if
one in hundred homes adopted one dog, most of the bad news you hear on the
streets would be a thing of the past. I need not emphasize all the good things
that come with keeping pets more over dogs are good security guards keeping
watch over you 24/7 365 days of the year.
(I welcome comments and opinions on this issue and will be
glad to share in my blog-write to sreekumsree@gmail.com)
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