Dog menace continues to irk Chennai residents

CHENNAI: Residents across several neighbourhoods in Chennai continue to express concern over the growing stray dog population, citing frequent incidents of dogs chasing motorists, ganging up and causing fear among pedestrians.

"For the past 6 months, the dog population has actually increased on our street. It used to be four or five, but now there are nearly ten. They gang up in the evening, bark, often chasing patients who visit my clinic," said Dr Anandhan, who runs a clinic on Nallapan Street in Mylapore.

In Choolaimedu's Gill Nagar, residents have similar experiences. "I reach Central School Road around 10 pm, and two dogs will be waiting at the corner; they almost always chase me. If I take Vada Agaram Street as an alternative, there's another dog there that does the same," said Arun, an HR professional from Shenoy Nagar who uses the route for his daily commute.

Such instances have also been reported from Shanmugaroyan Street in Old Washermanpet, Pulla Avenue in Shenoy Nagar, and Canal Bank Road in Kotturpuram, where residents complain that the civic body's measures have had little visible effect.

"Feeding of dogs in public places continues unchecked and often leads to arguments between residents and animal feeders," said Ramesh, an activist from Old Washermanpet, adding, "GCC must run awareness campaigns followed by strict monitoring." Some residents have opined that relocation is the only fix.

Corporation officials, however, point to legal constraints. "It's a public nuisance, we agree, but there is no clear-cut policy that allows us to relocate strays. The law mandates sterilisation and vaccination, after which the only option is to release them in the same area. We cannot remove them permanently," said a senior GCC veterinary official.

According to the Greater Chennai Corporation, as of November 1, a total of 1,00,347 stray dogs have been vaccinated against rabies between August and October 2025 across ten city zones. The target is 1.8 lakhs by year-end. However, sterilisation remains the city's weakest link.

The corporation's own data shows that only around 115 surgeries are performed daily, well below the annual target of 50,000 procedures.

Dr Anandhan added that the dogs in his street have turned aggressive. Pointing out that dogs' behaviour changes once sterilised, he said, "But there are such changes, which have raised doubts. We've filed multiple complaints, but nothing has moved," he said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has summoned the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories to appear on November 3, after most failed to submit their progress reports on how states are implementing its order on stray dog management.