Comments on: Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?

By: Bucur

Bucur — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 01:17:43 +0000

What most people ignore is that this dogs produce tons of crap (feces) daily (!) leading to loss of health for the human inhabitants living in such infested areas. This dogs are not any endangered species, they should be simply eliminated.

By: André

André — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:39:21 +0000

Two thinks I find really interesting:
1. Your 1 in 20 number doesn’t apply to strays based on the linked source and actually is a number relevant to the dog’s life and you have only a few incidence despite the thousands upon thousands of dogs.
2. You speak of such dogs as though they are generally malnourished and mangy, but none of the dogs you show do not look that way, quite the contrary.
So why exactly are these dogs a problem?

By: Adrian Hillman

Adrian Hillman — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:03:08 +0000

As Oindrila ganguly stated, a lot of unowned dogs in developing countries are, indeed, not stray. They have been living as free-ranging village or community dogs since before the western ideal of owned pet dogs was imported. Many live fulfilling lives (as far as I can tell) and cause no significant problem whilst also being communal security alerts, companions and waste disposal units valued by the human residents.

These animals, such as the southeast Asian dingo and Indian pariah dogs, are “native” to these regions and are living exactly the same lifestyle as they always have been and therefore should neither be considered stray nor feral.

The situation has been confused by the increasingly high numbers of abandoned pets which are ill-prepared for the lifestyle and lead to higher densities of unhealthy animals that become a problem and need help. Unfortunately, the village dogs all get lumped together with the abandoned pets in western eyes and are labelled as “strays”.

By: Jacqui Hakim

Jacqui Hakim — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:12:44 +0000

I just returned from the Mediterranean, where we saw feral cats and dogs in almost every town we visited. I noted the ear tags in many of the dogs, and ear tipping in many of the cats, so there is work being done in some of these places. I did not witness aggression from any animal, except perhaps that one hungry black cat in Rhodes that wanted to jump up on the table as we ate.
Rabies is the most serious animal-associated disease concern for travelers abroad, and the wise traveler will not touch any feral animal, no matter how friendly.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:00:32 +0000

There is an organization called Romanian Underdogs (www.loveunderdogs.org, they are also on Facebook) that is really great and helping to curb this situation for Romania; I am hoping similar organizations will pop up for other areas where it’s a problem. I spent much time in Bucharest last year and found the dogs in the streets pretty much kept to themselves, were not a nuisance (didn’t beg for food etc.), and I even became friendly with a few of them during my repeat visits. They have as much right to be there as people, in my opinion; but everyone freaks out over one bad headline (and I agree most of those are from provocation situations). It’s tragic to me that more people can’t agree to share the world with other creatures besides humans.

By: Anita

Anita — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 01:12:34 +0000

I am an animal lover and a vegetarian. I have a rural farm with a menagerie of abandoned animals, from a pot bellied pig to a peacock. Many comments above are in support of the dogs: ““The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” “i feel the bigger menace r the humans of the conscienceless type”. “Sterilization and release should be the ethical and humane thing to do. Dogs are not a pest, lousy human owners are!” What bothers me about this article is that it does not mention the impact stray dogs have on other native species of animals. The domesticated dog was developed and is supported by the human population. As such, we have a responsibility to control that population and not necessarily for our sake, but for other animal’s sake. Because these strays forage and are fed by humans, they are not as subject to the natural controls of nature such as disease and starvation. Puppy litters are unnaturally larger than wild canines. To just sterilize and release puts other wild animals, some endangered already, under pressure and at risk of death. So if you are indeed an animal lover, then stop and think what these unnatural and human supported stray dogs (as well as feral cats) are doing to other animals of the world!

By: Vincent

Vincent — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:06:11 +0000

It pains me to see stray dogs abuse and neglect overseas. We created this creature and they have been for centuries our best friends. Sterilization and release should be the ethical and humane thing to do. Dogs are not a pest, lousy human owners are!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:50:32 +0000

If I found that Kangal sheep dog puppy, I would have a VERY hard time parting with it! (even if I *was* traveling internationally! -by bike- haha :-) What a cute & friendly face!

When I was traveling in Egypt with my husband, I don’t remember seeing stray dogs, whereas there were cats everywhere…

I agree with the author that the ‘solution’ of killing stray dogs is “a joyless job” undertaken by government agencies & private businesses; however, I can objectively note that mass poisonings, etc. –while brutal & completely unpleasant to consider– would be the quickest and most cost-effective means of solving the problem (or at least getting ahead of it enough to make mass sterilizations much more feasible and likely to be successful in the long-term).

By: ShatteredArm

ShatteredArm — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:46:35 +0000

“‘Stray dogs’ in many developing countries are not really strays. They are native species of the region.”

The domestic dog (this term includes strays) is a descendent of the grey wolf, and was bred by humans. The domestic dog is not a native species of *any* region. All were introduced at some point by humans.

By: Pronghorn

Pronghorn — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:02:25 +0000

Adopt the culinary practices of some Asian nations and eat the dogs, use their fur for clothing. The solution pays for itself.