Can we adopt a street puppy in India?

Well, there are basically two types of questions that we need to answer here.

• Can we adopt a street puppy or dog in India? - Legal Issues
• Should we adopt a street puppy or dog in India? - Practical Issues

We will try to deliberate on these, and answer both these questions in this article.

Table of Contents

• Can we adopt a street puppy or dog in India?
• Pros and Cons of adopting a street Puppy/Dog

Can we adopt a street puppy or dog in India?

The answer is a resounding Yes!

We can definitely adopt a street puppy, or a street dog in India. It’s absolutely legal, and a good thing to do.

If you are really a dog lover, then the dog breed wouldn’t matter to you much. We love dogs because of their nature, naughtiness, and playfulness, right! However, if you want a dog as a showpiece, or as a status symbol, then it’s a different story altogether.

We understand that different dog breeds are a bit different in their nature and behaviour, and the way they look. And different people prefer different types of dogs. Some like Golden Retrievers, some prefer German Shepherds, some Pomeranians, etc.

However, Indian local street dogs (Desi dogs) are not inferior to any of these other foreign, or exotic dog breeds. They are as charming, loyal, naughty, playful and cute looking as any other dog. In fact, many of us enjoy their company, feed them on a regular basis, and like them.

But when it comes to adopting them, we often avoid that. Probably because, many of us look down upon most of the things Indian - be our language, our skin colour, our past history, or culture. Maybe it’s another symptom of our slave mentality - a mere side-effect of more than a thousand years of slavery.

But there are some maverick Indians who have enough self-esteem, and confidence to adopt any dog they want, without bothering much about what others will think. If you are one of those souls, our salute to you sir/ma’am! Respect.

Anyways, we should always prefer to adopt a pet, and not buy it. When we have so many dogs on the streets, that we may easily adopt, then why buy them. It’s not illegal either, as is the case with adopting some other wild animals in India (e.g. adopting Indian wild parrots is illegal). Dogs are not considered wild animals, and hence they can be adopted.

Note

Many puppies that we buy at huge cost often die very soon. That’s because the way they are breeded is not humane. Their mothers are kept under unhygienic conditions, and made to give birth to excessive puppies. This makes the new-born puppies weak. They often die within the first year of their life. These mass production houses of puppies for sale purpose are called Puppy Farms, Puppy Mills, or Dog Factory.

We all have seen street dogs being ill-treated by some people, slaughtered by the governments, and them suffering under the extreme weather conditions. Why not save some of such souls from such a painful life.

Note

Though the fur of most of the Indian street dogs is not thick, and that may be a negative point in the mind of some dog lovers.

Since, we are clear on the legal and moral aspect now, let’s move on to the practical aspects.

Pros and Cons of adopting a street Puppy/Dog

There a few practical issues too that we need to consider while adopting a puppy or a dog from the streets. Though none of them will prove to be a deal-breaker, but if you know them in advance, there will be no bad surprises for you in the future.

Smart and Loyal Dogs

Indian street dogs are pretty smart, loyal and playful. If they are given a good environment to grow up and live in, they do showcase the best features of their personality.

They get attached to their owners pretty soon, and so can work as security dogs pretty well. As they are street dogs, they are naturally smart and alert.

If you will groom them, they will look good too. They come in various colours, so there’s a lot of variety too. Some of the street dogs are even mixed breeds, with beautiful fur and build.

Low Shedding and High Resilience

Indian street dogs are naturally suited to our climatic conditions, unlike many foreign breeds that have very thick fur. So, these desi dog breeds shed less hair.

They are easier to maintain and groom too. They are not much fussy regarding food either. They have high immunity and can digest almost any food that we eat.

Issue of Parents and Friends

If you have adopted a puppy from your street, then probably its parents may not appreciate it, especially initially. They may misinterpret the situation as their puppy being in danger. And so, they may even attack you, until and unless they know you pretty well.

So, if you are adopting a puppy, make sure that you befriend its parents well. They should be comfortable with you and trust you. Also, do not separate the family out of a sudden. Let them meet for some time every day.

A word of Caution

Never adopt a very young puppy. They need their mother’s love, care and milk in that stage. Also, the mother is the most protective at that stage. It may bite you if you go near its puppies, even if it knows you well. So, be cautious!

However, the initial few months (3-4 months) are also the most vulnerable stage in the lifecycle of a street dog. Majority of puppies die before they turn 6 months - some because of weather, some are killed by other dogs, etc.

So, you will need to take the right call on the basis of the prevalent circumstances.

If you are adopting a grown-up street dog, then it may be difficult for you to separate it from its street friends. So, let it go out and meet them. It would be inhumane to suddenly alienate a dog from its social group.

However, if you are letting your puppy or dog intermingle with its parents, family, and friends, then hygiene may become a problem. Street dogs don’t take a bath, and have ticks. And playing with them will mean that your dog will bring them home with it.

Rabies is another health hazard. So, get the dog you are adopting vaccinated as soon as possible. If possible, get its friends and family vaccinated too. You will have to visit the vet a few times for this purpose.

Note

Some people also go for partial form of adoption. That is, they do not keep the dog full-time, but rather feed it regularly on a daily basis. They also let them inside the porch or their garden, and make shelter for them (especially when it’s too hot, cold, or raining).

Security Issue

Your adopted street dog may be mistaken as a wild street dog by someone. Say, if the municipality in your area is capturing street dogs, then your dog may also get captured by mistake.

If you are adopting a street dog, make sure that you put a collar around its neck. A collar will let anybody know that it is a pet dog. Also, make sure that you do write your address in its collar.

Winding Up

So, now you know all the pros and cons of adopting a street puppy/dog. Clearly, there are much more pros, and very few cons. Go ahead, and adopt a street puppy, or at least take care of some - provide them shelter, give them food, go out and help a dog in distress.

If you have to judge a civilization on maturity levels, see how it treats the weak, which includes animals, specially the abandoned street animals. Don’t care about what people in general will think. The right kind of people will always respect and appreciate you for it. Only their opinion matters!

And of course, the love that you will get from your new four-legged friend! That’s the best thing that you will get out of this deal.