Voice for the voiceless

A lapdog is a small pet dog that is given a lot of attention by its owner. On the other hand, we use the term disapprovingly to describe a person who is willing to do anything that a more important person tells them to do. So, lapdogs are a lucky lot.

Stray dogs, on the other hand, are an unlucky lot. They have no homes and nobody wants to have them as pets. We find them everywhere looking for a morsel of food. Instead of giving them something to eat, human beings avoid them like the plague. If men and women do not want to feed stray dogs, the matter ends there. Some people want to kill these hapless animals.

They have a legitimate grouse. They say stray dogs are responsible for the spread of hydrophobia - a great fear of drinking and water, often a sign of rabies.

They argue that if we do not kill stray dogs, latter will kill half the population. So local authorities, mainly the Colombo Municipality used to rope in stray dogs and kill them by forcing them to breathe poisonous gas.

We must not forget that the dog is the first domesticated animal that became man's best friend. The dog was there even when man lived in caves. This is proved by the remains of a dog believed to have lived 10,500 years ago in Idaho. With the long process of evolution, today we have more than 140 species of dogs living throughout the world.

Dog lovers are aware of various types of dogs that serve man in various capacities. We have "Working dogs" such as Mastiff and Doberman Pinscher. German Shepherd and Belgian Sheepdog are "Herding dogs."

Then we have "Terriers" like Bull Terrier and Welsh Terrier, Maltese and Pekingese are "Toy Dogs." Dalmation and English Bulldog belong to the class of "Nonsporting Dogs." Greyhound and Afghan Hound are known as "Hounds." Then we have "Sporting Dogs" such as Pointer and Vizsla.

In the developed world, dogs lead comfortable lives. They are given proper food, exercise, and care unlike in the Third World they become miserable animals. All pet dogs are licensed and rabies and distemper shots are given periodically. Then there are veterinary surgeons who look after the health of dogs.

If you study man's story of civilization, you will note that Asians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used dogs as guards, companions and hunters. They lived so close to civilized people that there were notable painters like Thoman Gainsborough and William Hogarth who painted pastoral scenes with dogs taking a prominent place.

Although pet dogs lived happily with their masters, stray dogs faced many problems over the decades.

As They had no homes or anyone to look after their welfare, stray dogs came to be treated as a social evil or a menace. Then civilized men began to kill stray dogs for their own survival. However, the stray dog population could not be checked. They began to appear in every nook and corner of cities, towns and villages.

Apart from local authorities, even some "civilized" people took upon themselves the task of eliminating stray dogs. If they see a stray dog they will start attacking it with stones and other missiles.

If the dog started running for its safety, they thought it was a mad dog and killed it. If the dog fought back barking and biting the attackers furiously, it was supposed to be a mad dog! whichever way the dog reacted, death was the punishment.

The good news we have is that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed that no dog should be killed on the pretext of controlling the dog population.

However, he has ordered that rabies eradication programme should be continued. Now the attention of the government is directed to finding out more humane methods of controlling the stray dog population.

Sterilisation and immunisation of dogs have been found to be sufficient for the purpose. The Sathva Mitra Friends of Animals had been agitating a "no kill" policy for a long time. Meanwhile, under the new Rabies Act some local authorities are trying to resume the killing of dogs to prevent the spread of rabies. However, under the eradication of cruelty to animals, "no kill policy" will save the lives of stray dogs.

The implementation of sterilisation and immunisation of dogs is a healthy sign of a welfare State like Sri Lanka.

All animal welfare organisations and religious organisations will welcome the new legislation framed in the Mahinda Chinthana.