Wag the dog

To address the issue of people dying from attacks carried out by pet dogs, the Centre recently instructed states to ban the sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs. The forbidden breeds include Pitbull Terrier, American Bulldog, Rottweiler, exotic shepherd dogs, and Mastiffs, among others. The directive also said that dogs of such breeds, which have already been kept as pets, should be sterilised to prevent further breeding. It was puzzling to note that terriers and Akitas were also branded as ferocious dogs, as per the order. Additionally, to improve surveillance of dog bite incidents and rabies cases, the Centre has directed states to record instances of bites caused by stray and pet dogs separately.

The developments have implications for Tamil Nadu, which reported 8.83 lakh dog bites in 2022 and 121 deaths caused by rabies from 2018 to 2022. In terms of absolute numbers, the state reported 4,04,488 incidents of dog bites in 2023. Last year, the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital and RGGGH treated around 5,500 to 6,000 persons for dog bites. As per parliament data till Nov 2022, India reported nearly 16 million cases of stray dog bites between 2019 and 2022. The Health Ministry also informed that incidents of dog bites in India have seen a 26.5% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) increase, from 21.8 lakh incidents in 2022 to 27.5 lakh incidents in 2023.

Two factors are at play here. We are dealing with irresponsible ownership, as people often acquire exotic breeds as status symbols, oblivious to the characteristics of specific breeds, their energy levels, and lifestyle requirements. Once these animals lose their charm, or grow old, their owners abandon them, adding to the quantum of street dogs, which brings us to the second, more serious problem. As per the National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination from India by 2030, released in 2021 by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 96 per cent of the mortality and morbidity due to rabies is associated with dog bites.

The government maintains that India witnessed only 55 rabies deaths in 2021, but a research paper released in January 2023 pegs this metric to thousands per year. The WHO says that India accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. India’s stray dog population, currently at about 62 mn (the highest globally) would already have been regulated, had we implemented the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules in letter and spirit. Chennai has the distinction of being one of the first cities to start a sustained ABC-Anti-Rabies programme in India. The 2023 ABC Rules recognise community dogs and clearly state that the responsibility of vaccinating and sterilising such animals lies with the Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs). The Rules also specify that feeding zones for such dogs should be kept away from children’s play area and entry and exit points.

However, there is a pain point here. A majority of animal shelters/ABC centres operated by the respective city corporations in India are short on funds. Owing to this, the pounds are often overcrowded and unhygienic with no ventilation. In many instances, records show that these shelters claimed that more dogs were vaccinated for rabies than the actual number of anti-rabies vaccines (ARV) doses procured by them. The bottom line: we need stringent pet ownership laws and prohibitions on feeding animals in public places. And we need improved shelters and adequate budgeting to implement ABC efficiently.