Written by : Akshika Jangid
While walking by the street, I come across a street dog trying to consume plastic in hope to find some food in it. Such is the situation of the street dogs in our country and we have people saying “if you are so concerned, then adopt them and feed them in your homes” which is such a diabolical statement by the ones sitting in their AC rooms and are actually littering the public spaces. Why don’t we realize that it is this scavenging behavior of ours that sustains the stray dog population and can lead to increased concentrations of dogs in areas with high levels of waste. Just like cows, dogs are sacred animals too as they are associated with deities like Bhairva, an aspect of Lord Shiva. Then why do we treat them as the ones causing the public nuisance? 
The poem below poignantly captures the perspective of one such dog out of hundreds of thousands who are mistreated when relocated to shelters in the name of mass sterilization and vaccination. To illustrate the scale and impact: The recent Delhi High Court’s directive has mandated the relocation of almost a million stray dogs to shelters, despite the fact that most Indian cities currently have less than 1% of the capacity needed to accommodate them humanely. This infrastructure gap often leads to overcrowded conditions, neglect, and heightened risk of mistreatment for countless animals in shelters.
Moreover, it compels us to look beyond the logistical and administrative aspects of the issue —such as controlling their numbers or managing public spaces. Instead, it urges us to reflect on the moral implications of treating animals as mere problems to be managed rather than as sacred beings with a right to humane treatment.
At last, even though the order complies with all the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Regulations, it leaves us with a critical question: Are we really doing enough to live with these creatures, or are we merely transferring the issue?
The chains cut so deep
It’s hard for me to breathe
I haven’t eaten for so long
The one who did this,
Must pay for their deeds lifelong
When I dig up into my past
It left me in tears and aghast
I realise that my life was so peppy
But now it’s just so crappy
I lay there wondering why?
Sit towards the corner and cry
Morosely it never comes to my mind
As to why I was of such a kind
To be treated with a heart of stone
And left alone by someone known
My big brown eyes are now filled with tears
Rips and shreds cover my ears
From being beaten up by a birch
To being chained up and left apart
Sometimes I even fail to take heart
When I close my eyes and try to sleep
All I could do is weep
I miss those days when I was at leisure,
those memories I could treasure
I cry out for my mother and my family
Who were abandoned terribly
I wish I could be with them
As my life without them is in contempt
I would rather ask you right now
Why would anybody allow
Which I doubt that it’s even right
Why wouldn’t you let your heart ignite,
If you love your pet
Then why don’t you regret
Give it to someone who would treat us with respect
Who would love to protect
Because I certainly deserve more than you
Who has always been the giver in the world of takers.
Nevertheless ,
If this would last long
Then I regret being this creature
As I don’t deserve such cruelty
In fact ‘WE’ don’t deserve such wretched action
So for god sake , nurture us with love and care.
I’m sorry,
this is not where it ends.
It ends with you—
YOU taking a pledge.
Perhaps make a respectful image
for these pitiable creatures,
who would never harm you in the first place.
Because if they could speak,
mankind would definitely weep.
Remember that, always.
I warn you….
While the solution can’t merely be relocating the stray dogs and sending them to shelters — as it only shuffles the pieces on the board. Stray dogs are part of the city’s heartbeat and the raw emotion that the poem highlights serves as a powerful reminder that our solutions to such complex issues can’t be prevented with short term policy like this. Instead, it is compassion, awareness and responsible long term policies that must guide us. Moving them disrupts their natural habitat similar to how you take a child away from their parents’ place to a foster home. In addition to this, picking up the strays merely moves them to different locations, it doesn’t actually solve the real public health risks like the spread of Rabies or the improper waste management. Thus, without sustainable, long-term strategies, this endless cycle will continue to persist.
The High Court’s order, despite its seemingly benevolent intentions, risks causing significant suffering to the very creatures it seeks to manage. It’s a call to action for humanity to reconsider its relationship with animals—to see them not as a threat but as a vulnerable ‘Voiceless’ part of our shared world.
