Stray dogs are everywhere in India. They serve some purpose, traditionally, as scavengers and as guard dogs, but they can be a nuisance too, and they can spread rabies. Every now and again cities launch programmes to eradicate them, generally using inhumane methods.
I met a very interesting and personable chap in Trivandrum, who told me passionately about his work for the
Humane Society International / India , whereby he and his team are eradicating dogs there humanely, by sterilising them, and at the same time educating the populace about not being afraid of them, and treating them better.
He was a vet by training, and hailed from Kashmir. (You start to wonder how many people are left in Kashmir - so many do you bump into in other parts of India.) His parents had been trying to lure him back there with talk of good safe jobs. He'd even been offered Australian residence, and knew he'd earn vastly more there if he took it up. But no, his passion was to travel India doing this sort of project, and his life was just fine as it was.
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