Rise in Cases of Stray Dog Bites

March 21, 2026

Recently, petitions were filed in the Supreme Court of India regarding incidents of stray dogs biting people—specifically mauling children and the elderly to death.Animal lovers advocate for compassion towards stray dogs, urging that they should not be killed but rather fed.

However, the petitioners argued that while a scarcity of food might be the underlying cause of the dogs’ aggressive behavior on the streets, animal lovers should not be permitted to endanger human lives by feeding these dogs directly on public thoroughfares. In its ruling, the Court directed that shelter homes be established to house these dogs.Both the Central and State governments must immediately shift into “action mode” and devise an appropriate solution to address this grave issue.

This problem has also been a subject of discussion in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Nachhattar Pal, the MLA from Nawanshahr, remarked that while government statements are issued following every such incident, there appears to be a distinct lack of implementation regarding the directives contained within those statements.This year alone, over 30,000 cases of dog bites have been reported across Punjab, resulting in five fatalities. Three of the deceased hailed from the Ferozepur district.

In essence, while thousands of people in Punjab are falling victim to dog bites, no serious efforts have been undertaken to manage the stray dog population.Currently, a “dog sanctuary” with a capacity to accommodate 150 dogs has been established in Ludhiana; however, similar initiatives are conspicuously absent in other cities. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had previously made observations regarding this matter, followed by two separate sets of observations from the Supreme Court.