Delhi: The Supreme Court hearing on the stray dog matter in August highlighted the need for robust data on dog-bite cases and the population of street dogs, as the Delhi government’s counsel cited several anecdotal incidents. A new study of 1,063 respondents from 10 cities has sought to fill this data gap.
Researchers Meghna Bal and Aaqib Qayoom of the Esya Centre, a Delhi-based policy think tank, have released a report on free-ranging dogs in India. The study, an empirical analysis of human–animal interactions, notes a 90 percent drop in reported human deaths from rabies — from 534 in 2004 to 54 in 2024. Between 2022 and 2025, the study said 126 rabies-related deaths were recorded nationwide.
“Most free-ranging dogs are not aggressive. When respondents were asked to describe the general temperament of free-ranging dogs in their neighbourhoods, 73.5 percent characterized them as friendly, and 15 percent as timid,” the report said, adding “only 10.8 percent of respondents described the dogs in their locality as aggressive.”
The report noted that 74 percent of dog feeders consider feeding dogs a key part of their religious practice.
“This is unsurprising given that dogs play important roles in epics like the Mahabharata, and enjoy close connections with several Indian gods,” it said.
Also Read: I am a dog lover, but we don’t know how to win the war on strays
Safe community
Dogs and humans have a give-and-take relationship, according to the report, and that human behaviour must also be understood to prevent conflict.
“When people consistently treat free-ranging dogs kindly— by feeding them or interacting with them without hostility—the dogs are more approachable and less likely to perceive humans as a threat,” it said.
In line with this, 91.4 percent of respondents reported that neighbourhood dogs helped to keep their communities safer and deterred criminal activity.
“A further 52.21 percent felt that their presence helps keep women and children safe. Moreover, 96 percent of respondents stated that they feel “very safe” in their area because of community dogs,” the report read.
Nearly 52 percent of respondents also reported that community dogs help keep rats and monkeys at bay.
“The challenges that do exist—dog bites, localized conflict, and uneven population distribution—are real, but they stem not from the mere presence of community dogs, but from gaps in municipal planning, waste management systems, and effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules,” it says.
Also Read: Yudhishtira to Bhairava cherished dogs. It’s about our civilisational values
A new approach
The research urges policymakers to look beyond removing stray dogs as the main response, and instead focus on better reporting of dog-bite cases, community involvement, and proper sterilisation and vaccination.
It calls for revising the Animal Bite Reporting Form and taking stricter action against those who harass “individuals that responsibly feed free-ranging dogs.”
“Adding a field to record whether the biting dog was a pet or a free-ranging dog would significantly strengthen the evidence base on which public health and urban animal management decisions are made,” said the report.
The report suggests collaboration between municipal departments and the community feeders by making them ‘lokyutas’ as they implement ABC rules that govern the sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs.
“This will also help ensure that spayed dogs are returned to the locality where they were picked from,” the report said.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
Yes ,we All should feel Safer with dogs as compared to those Lustful eyes of men on the steets and those Women who are interested in gossips about another women .Humans are very less on the earth now who are really Good People who are animal lovers are only Humans .
And God’s Best Creation Dogs who are created to live and coexist with Humans Who Always make us Feel safe and Safer in our life at home and On Streets also
Yes I feel Safe with Street dogs and will always feel the same
Yes. It’s true. Feel safest when D9gesh bhai is on roads at any time 9f day night mid night. Even when at home feel very safe that our Dogesh bhai is on the roads in our Colony. so awara nahi hamara hai.
A country is not built only of humans. A nation is built by its flora, fauna, forests, rivers, trees, wildlife, and also the community animals who share our streets. They, too, are citizens of this land in their own way. When the Supreme Court debates their right to live, it is not merely a legal issue — it is a moral reflection of who we are. A country cannot run by humans alone.
What makes me sad more is that in a country like India — where almost every household worships one God or another — people are forgetting the most basic principle of every religion: compassion. How can we bow before God in the morning and harm His creations by evening? How do we pray for kindness, blessings, and forgiveness while showing none of it to the living beings created by Him? This hypocrisy reveals more about us than we realise. If this is how we behave, then we are failing — not as Indians, but as human beings.
If India aspires to be a global leader, then we must also lead in humaneness, not just economy and infrastructure. The true progress of a society is not measured by highways or skyscrapers — it is measured by the kindness in its people. And right now, we are failing that test.
Street dogs don’t harm us; they protect us, love us, guard our nights, and give emotional comfort to countless people. All they need from us is a little space on the street they were born in and the dignity to live peacefully. They deserve vaccinations, sterilisation, and humane treatment — not hatred.
I hope this country remembers that humanity is not about how we treat the powerful, but how we treat the powerless. India has always been known for its heart. Let’s not lose it now.
This could be the most lop sided survey in which sample does not even reflect part of majority.
Biggest load of bull**** to come out of the Print. Editors, please check for obviously biased articles like this. Go survey the fathers and mothers whose children were killed by strays.
So true, we feel safe in a day and night due to street dogs. We must be kind to pet animals. Then how the future generations will understand the kindness, no dog no votes
Yes 100%
Absolutely correct. The anti dog lobby just has hatred with no clear proven solution to solve the issues. There are scientific ways to control population and keep everyone safe in a compassionate way. But the haters can just spew wrongs numbers and give a random, unscientific cruel judgements which shows their own character more than anything else.
What an idiotic article. Even I did survey where 90 percent people felt unsafe near dog lovers.
Please stop paid articles
These surveys are not correct.The people who have become victims of dog bites across the country should be covered.A country where anti rabies is not easily available,dog bites are a serious issue.
Every time a stray wags his or her tail, you smile . I have forever felt safe with them around specially in the nights and lonely roads . U just have to call them and they are there .
A very well stated solution. This is the working model for our RWA in Bangalore. Many schools and colleges have happily implemented the same here. It is a very effective mechanism for the dog bite issue as opposed to putting the onus of the solution for this problem back to the MCDs and government bodies who have terribly failed at the task after getting so much funds for the same
LOL
Very true, no friend like dogs❤️🧿🐾✨