The Stray Dogs of Delhi | Who Deserves Safety?

The Streets we walk, and the society we are building.

The Stray Dogs of Delhi

It’s August, the peak of summer in Delhi. But that’s not what disturbs people today. Instead, the air and atmosphere are filled with shouting. On one side, voices rise: “Dogs are family, not criminals!” Others shout back: “Criminals are roaming free—where is India going?” From the opposite side, angry cries demand safety for children: “They must be removed!”

Some argue strays are dangerous and must go. Others shout back, asking how anyone could be so cruel. The street doesn’t feel like a street anymore but a battleground of compassion, fear, and—most importantly—people’s love for little voiceless creatures.

The Supreme Court’s Order

In all the shouting, one question kept running through people’s minds: what really happened?

On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued a directive requiring the removal of all stray dogs from public spaces in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The decision came in response to rising reports of dog-bite cases. According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, nearly 2,000 dog-bite incidents are reported daily, and Delhi alone has an estimated 500,000 to 1 million stray dogs. Hospitals like Safdarjung recorded more than 91,000 dog-bite cases in 2024–25, a sharp rise from 63,000 just a few years earlier.

For the Court, this was about safety. A helpline for dog-bite emergencies was also proposed, and authorities were warned that obstruction of this order could invite legal action.

The Protests

As soon as the news reached the public, the reactions were mixed. Some shed a sigh of relief, murmuring “thank God for this”, “children are safe now “

While others immediately began protesting. Groups like All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA India) took to the streets, insisting that the ruling violated the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which require sterilized and vaccinated strays to be returned to their original areas.

Protesters reminded the Court and the public that strays are not just animals, but community of protectors more like families, often guarding lanes and chasing away intruders. One activist outside the Supreme Court carried a placard reading: “Criminals roam free, but justice is swift for dogs?”

The Human Side

Parents, meanwhile, raised their fear. Some shared stories of children who had been bitten on their way to school, requiring expensive rabies vaccines. In 2022 alone, India recorded over 1.6 crore dog-bite cases nationwide, making it one of the highest in the world. For families, this wasn’t about cruelty it was about safety. Which for a moment seem fine to me. But the question again rise in my mind that “Do we really need safety from dogs, who ask nothing but love and maybe just a shelter”?

We need safety from the beast people pretend not to be

A Change of Heart

But fortunately, the story didn’t end here. Protests rise and rise. Not with violence, but with emotion. Thousands raised their voices for the voiceless, reminding everyone that those little voiceless little creatures are not alone

“We are with them”

And the Court listened. On August 22, 2025, it modified its earlier directive. Strays that were sterilized, vaccinated, and dewormed could return to their localities, unless they showed aggression or rabies symptoms. Municipalities were ordered to create designated feeding zones, install notice boards, and develop a nationwide, science-based policy in line with the ABC Rules.

The Bigger Question

Still, the debate hasn’t ended. Parents worry: “What about the safety of our children?” 

But the real question is not about this but the real question is  : “What about humanity?”

This was never only about stray dogs. It was about how we define safety, and who gets to be protected. Are our streets unsafe because of strays or because crimes by humans go unchecked? Women still fear walking at night. Criminals still roam freely. Yet the Court’s urgent attention fell on creatures who ask for nothing but food, shelter, and kindness and little love.

Where Are We Heading?

The story will linger in my heart always, in the eyes of every stray, in the voices of parents, in the protests of citizens, and in the conscience of a society that must choose between fear and compassion.

Do we need safety from these voiceless creatures? Or from those who call themselves human?

And in the end, one haunting question remains: What kind of society are we building, and was this safety ever truly needed?

By Manpreet kaur