Episode 13 : Changing India’s mindset about Community Animals

Walk through any Indian city at dawn and you’ll see them: a sleepy dog stretching near a tea stall, another trotting behind the milkman, a pair curled up beside a fruit cart. They are not lost, abandoned, or ownerless. They are community animals - an integral part of our streets, our rhythms, and our shared lived spaces.

Yet, we still call them “strays.”

That one word shapes how millions of people think and behave. It signals danger, dirt, nuisance, and “not our problem.” And as long as that mindset stays, real welfare will always hit a wall.

It’s time we changed the word and the way we see them.

1. Language shapes Compassion

Words are not neutral. The term “stray” suggests that the animal’s presence is accidental or illegitimate. But in reality:

• Street dogs have lived in India for thousands of years, coevolving alongside humans.

• Every lane has residents who feed or care for them, making them belong to the community, even without a single owner.

• The ABC Rules 2023 legally classify them as “community-owned dogs.”

When you call a dog “stray,” you are distancing responsibility.When you call them “community animals,” you are acknowledging shared guardianship.

Changing the word changes the mindset and the mindset changes the outcome.

2. Community Animals fill real roles in our Ecosystem

Street dogs aren’t just idle wanderers. They naturally occupy ecological niches in cities:

• They keep rodent populations in check, reducing disease and food contamination.

• They act as night-time guards, alerting neighbourhoods to intruders.

• They develop deep territory awareness and maintain balance with nearby packs.

Removing them creates a vacuum that is quickly filled by new or competing dogs often causing more aggression and instability. Coexistence is not charity; it’s ecology.

3. Fear comes from Misunderstanding, Not from the dogs

Much of the discomfort around community dogs comes from myths:

❌ “They bite without reason.”

✔ Most incidents arise from provocation, fear, or guarding instinct - all preventable with awareness.

❌ “Feeding makes them aggressive.”

✔ Feeding actually stabilizes behavior when done responsibly (fixed spot, fixed time, clean bowls).

❌ “All street dogs are sick.”

✔ Regular community care - vaccinations, ABC, and deworming - keeps them healthy and safe.

Education transforms fear into understanding, especially in gated communities, schools, and apartments where misinformation spreads quickly.

4. The Real Problem isn’t the dogs , It’s the System

People often get frustrated because of:

• unsterilized dogs

• noisy packs

• lack of vaccination

• garbage attracting more dogs

These are governance failures, not animal failures.

A well-run ABC-vaccination-deworming program reduces population, aggression, and human-dog conflict by over 70%.Cities like Jaipur, Mumbai, and Chennai have seen clear improvements wherever systematic ABC is implemented.

Dogs are not the issue.Lack of policy, implementation, and awareness is.

5. Building a Culture of Community Guardianship

A community animal is everyone’s responsibility and that doesn’t mean feeding 20 dogs or running a shelter. It can be simple, sustainable actions:

• Place clean water bowls (like Bowls of Hope).

• Feed at consistent times and clean spots.

• Support ABC drives.

• Encourage children to interact safely and kindly.

• Educate neighbors on coexistence.

• Step in when a dog is injured, instead of walking past.

When one person cares, a life changes.When a lane cares, a culture changes.

6. The Shift India Needs

The transition from “stray” to “community dog” is not a vocabulary tweak - it’s a value shift.

It says:

• “They belong.”

• “They are part of our city.”

• “Their safety is our shared responsibility.”

• “Compassion is not optional; it’s civic.”

As India urbanizes faster than ever, the street animals who have lived with us for generations deserve not invisibility, but recognition.

In the End, They Are Not ‘Strays.’ They Are Ours.

Changing the word changes the world they live in.

At The Daily Pawst, we believe that the future of animal welfare in India begins not with massive infrastructure or costly shelters, but with the smallest shift in how we speak, think, and act.

Because once you see them as “community,” you cannot help but care.