The Welfare of Stray Dogs

In 1989, WSD convinced the BMC to sterilize dogs rather than kill them to reduce the dog population and consequently the number of human deaths from rabies. Eventually the killing of stray dogs stopped in 1994. 

Some of their work include:

• Mass Sterilisation: WSD carries out an average of 150 sterilisations a month and has neutered 50,000 stray dogs till date at the kennels provided by the municipal corporation of Mumbai (BMC). WSD follows guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). They practice strict hygienic procedures which are followed to ensure safety and care.

• Rabies Eradication: The WHO recommends mass vaccination of dogs as the most effective method of rabies eradication. WSD regularly vaccinates a large number of dogs on site. About 80,000 street dogs have been vaccinated against rabies. The number of human rabies deaths has also dropped from 45 in 1990 (when street dogs used to be killed by the BMC) to 1 in 2013. 

• Healthcare & Rescue: Sick or injured dogs are treated on site and serious cases are brought to WSD’s Mahalaxmi centre. The organisation also runs a homeopathic clinic where stray animals are treated free of charge. They hold free workshops to educate the public twice a year. WSD covers more than 10,000 cases through the three healthcare programmes per year.

• Adoption: The organisation runs strict screening procedures to match the behaviour and temperament of dog to owner. WSD goes as far as providing behaviour counselling post-adoption.

WSD has so far impacted the lives of 140,000 street dogs through sterilization, vaccination, healthcare and adoption as on March 2015.