it’s very difficult to ascertain whether strays are vaccinated or not.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
I am often asked a classic modern-day lifestyle question: Are you a cat person or a dog person? I am neither. And if you have one or more of these pets, please keep them tied up when I am around.
When I say that I am not a pet or animal lover, I want to reiterate that neither am I a pet or animal hater. I do not consider pet lovers to be unlawful or criminal. At the same time, I abhor their mindset of considering those who are not pet or animal lovers to be immature who need to “grow up”.
In my college days, I had gone to a batch mate’s place one evening. Just to have some “unharmful fun” (according to them), they let the dog on me. I jumped from the sofa to the bed to the teapoy and back to the sofa with the dog following and pawing me. The host family was laughing. The dog did not bite me, which the family was confident about. But anything could have happened to me in that fear. I could have fallen and injured myself.
The sad part is that just like my batch mate’s family, a majority of pet lovers have chosen to ignore the plight of those who are not pet lovers. Another category of animal lovers are those who do not have them at home, but shower all their love on strays. When they feed the strays, they do not realise the disturbance they cause to traffic and pedestrians. There have been several accidents on account of this “feeding”. If anyone tries to shoo away strays being treated to food by an animal lover, he invites the ire of the dogs and a “see I am doing such a great service” look from the animal lover.
It’s very difficult to ascertain whether the strays are vaccinated or not. Given this scenario, any decision to put strays in an organised set-up should be welcomed. It’s about giving them a home, taking care of them and not letting their lives go astray. It’s a win-win situation.
vijayshekhar1974@gmail.com
Published – October 05, 2025 12:31 am IST
