Strays will be 'community dogs' in Chandigarh

Stray dogs plodding on the streets of Chandigarh will soon get rid of the all-pervading 'stray' tag.

Homeless dogs on roads may not be called strays anymore. They would instead be called 'community dogs'.

It's a move the administration in Chandigarh has proposed  while considering a case that came up before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The avant-garde plan, which incorporates more than just changing the nomenclature, is drawing applause from animal lovers and some sections of the society.

The intent behind the exercise is to seize the element of lowliness and inferiority associated with the word 'stray' when it comes to unclaimed dogs on the streets.

It's also been seen as an attempt to provide a community ownership of sorts to stray dogs.

The aspect of dog menace, which forms a part of the wider public perception as much in Chandigarh as in other parts of the country, is also being addressed in the plan.

Doing away with the usage of 'stray' is likely to infuse a feeling among the community that is contrary to the sentiment of hate and disgust that dogs on streets often have to encounter from a large section of the public.

The plan was put forth by advocate Tanu Bedi before the division bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal of the high court.

The plan comes amid the growing pattern among city residents to adopt stray dogs.

Shelter homes for dogs, possibly on similar lines to cattle pounds galore, too,  have  been suggested.

In fact, Chandigarh's adjoining satellite township of Panchkula in Haryana has already taken the lead and has identified a large chunk of land where a shelter for stray dogs is being constructed, Panchkula civic corporation executive officer OP Sihag said talking to DH.

While there is a sea of humanity that often pours out in the name of the "holy cow", authorities are now hoping its macro plan for "community" dogs will draw a more or less similar deliberation.