Just like all men are not rapists, all dogs are not rabid, killers

We, as a society, need to do some introspection and ask ourselves many soul-searching questions. Why is it that when a dog attack happens we feel justified in beating and poisoning other dogs in our vicinity? Of late, quite a few incidents of dogs biting people or mauling children to death have been reported in the media. Each time heartbreaking and horrifying incidents like the ones in Noida, Rajasthan or Hyderabad take place; I am shocked and filled with grief. I can feel the heart-rending pain of the parents whose children have died horrific deaths and empathise with those who have been hurt by stray dogs. At the same time, being a human and an animal lover, I am mortified by the outpouring of hate for animals that comes through in social circles and via social media. Don’t get me wrong. I am in no way trying to trivialize the deaths of our children mauled by strays. There is no way anyone can do that and be called a human. However, just like all men are not rapists, all dogs are not rabid, killers. This article is a humble and honest attempt to try and create some level of understanding in the minds of those who don’t have a natural affinity to animals, particularly dogs, so that the cruelty and conflict can be mitigated. First off, we humans have to realize that animals have as much a right to life as we do. And one gets sickened by the cruelty that humans feel morally justified to mete out to the strays in their locality. Of late, after the unfortunate maulings, there have been many incidents of stray dogs being beaten to death by vigilante groups who have taken it upon themselves to “protect” their colonies. Innocent dogs that would never have bitten a single human being are paying the price for the misdeeds of a few others of their ilk. We, as a society, need to do some introspection and ask ourselves many soul-searching questions. Why is it that when a dog attack happens we feel justified in beating and poisoning other dogs in our vicinity? Humans kill and hurt each other all the time! If the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures are to be believed, India recorded an average of 80 murders and 77 rape cases daily in 2020! There were 105 cases of acid attacks and 6,966 recorded cases of dowry deaths.