Dog’s mood undecipherable, yet vulnerable: SC to pet lovers
“No one knows which dog is in what mood in the morning,” and “they may not bite, but they still cause accidents,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, adding that “prevention is better than cure.” Making this observation, the court said two Rajasthan High Court judges have suffered accidents in the last 20 days, and one of the judges is still suffering from spinal injuries.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, which was hearing pleas for modification of its earlier orders of the Supreme Court filed by dog lovers and those seeking stringent compliance of orders, said it is conducting the hearing as many lawyers and animal activists claimed that they were not heard before passing of the order on November 7. Flagging non-compliances of rules and directions by civic bodies, the bench said that people were dying not only due to dog bites alone in the country but also because of accidents caused by stray animals on roads. “The roads should be clear of dogs and stray animals. It is not only the dog bites but also the roaming of stray animals on roads that are proving dangerous and causing accidents. No one knows which dog is in what mood in the morning. Civic bodies have to implement the rules, modules and directions strictly,” the bench said. Justice Mehta pointed out that two Rajasthan High Court judges have suffered accidents in the last 20 days and one of the judges is still suffering from spinal injuries. “It’s a serious issue,” he told lawyers appearing in the matter.
Hearing the stray dogs matter, the court said it is not possible to know in what mood a dog is as those against its order on street canine menace argued that treating animals with empathy averts attacks. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing petitioners, said during the hearing on Wednesday that if one treats animals with empathy, they won’t attack. “If you invade their space, they will attack,” Sibal said.
To this, Justice Vikram Nath responded, saying it is just not about biting, but also the threat caused by dogs. “How can you identify? Which dog is in what mood in the morning, you don’t know,” Justice Nath asked.
Suggesting a solution, Sibal said, “If there’s an unruly dog, you call a centre. It will be sterilized and released back.” The Supreme Court was hearing the stray dogs and cattle case, with a three-judge bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, raising serious safety concerns over animals on streets and on highways.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing animal welfare NGOs, told the Supreme Court that those feeding dogs, particularly women, are being harassed.
