Dog Rescue and Its Needs: Analytical Essay

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Abstract

Life on land consists of all terrestrial animals living together in perfect harmony with humans maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Over the years of human existence, many animals have been domesticated, however dogs amongst them all have always been very close to humans. Dogs are very helpful and loyal animals. They have been domesticated for more than a thousand years. There are about 340 breeds of dogs as recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world governing body of dog breeds, sometimes known as the World Canine Organization. But because of cross-breeding by humans they have become more adaptable to all kinds of environments and are found in all types of topography. Some dogs are nurtured as pets while others are stray which survive on human leftovers and garbage living alongside them. Since they are so closely associated to humans it is important to know about them. Apart from shedding fur, dog drool, lying poop and loud barks there are a lot more things to know. Every year around 5 million people are bitten by dogs. Dogs are prone to many diseases which can spread to humans and other animals causing harm. So, in order to maintain the balance in society, we have different rescue organisations that are helping minimise risks and ensure well-being of humans and other animals as well as helping and protecting the dogs by vaccinating and neutering them. Rescue work also involves taking in injured dogs, curing and caring them and then releasing them back in their habitat. Many studies have shown the process and the importance of such organisations.

The paper discusses about the working of the rescue organisation to help deal with injured and diseased dogs, taking care of vaccinating and neutering them to make sure their population stays in control and ensuring the well-being of society.

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Introduction

The continuous rising populations of stray dogs and their daily interaction with humans have been causing several casualties both to the human and the dog population. Stray dogs or street dogs are unconfined dogs living in human community. They are like the outgrown parasites of human. Life on land includes all terrestrial animals coexisting together in harmony and stray dogs too are a part of it. Over the years of urbanization, dogs have adapted to live in human communities hunting food from the human leftovers and garbage, finding shelter at human construction. This has left their natural hunting skills of no use. Their interdependence with humans is a nice example of companionship but has also caused several conflicts between them. Dogs are carriers of diseases such as rabies and canine distemper virus (CDV). These diseases are transferrable to human and are very harmful causing life threats. Strays are also prone to other problems such as accidents, skin diseases, worms etc. which affects the life of the strays.

The earth belongs to everyone, and every living being on this planet plays its role in the ecosystem. Thus, being the most superior species, it is our responsibility that we take care of the canines too and find ways to improve their relationships with humans maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. There are different rescue organizations that help reduce risks and establish the well-being of human and also help and protect the dogs, by vaccinating and neutering them. Rescue organizations also help by giving medical treatment and caring the injured dogs. The best method practiced to keep the dog population under control is the Animal Birth Control Program (ABC). By this, the dogs are captured, sterilized and then released back into their habitat. All these steps also ensure herd immunity which implies that a larger population of dogs would be immune to the rabies virus. Many people argue against the release of the dogs into their habitat and suggest relocating them elsewhere. Relocating them is not feasible because dogs are territorial animals and live in specific area adapting to the food and water sources available there. Releasing them back to their habitat would ensure their survival. Relocating the dogs to reduce human-dog intervention is not viable. One of the ways to solve this problem is by limiting garbage disposal or by managing garbage, not making it easily accessible for dogs to feed upon. Many organizations are taking care of the ABC programs, but it is also important that government and individual of society play their role for long-term goal achievement.

This paper focuses on ways of reducing human-dog casualties. It helps us understand the measures taken by organization like ResQ to vaccinate and sterilize dogs and control their population in Pune and nearby areas. ResQ also focuses on spreading awareness amongst the people by educating the next generation, to help reduce animal and human conflicts.

Literature review

· Disease control through fertility control: Secondary benefits of animal birth control in Indian street dogs.

Andrew J. Yoaka, John F. Reece, Stanley D. Gehrt, Ian M. Hamilton Preventive Veterinary Medicine 113 (2014) 152-156

The paper studies the sexually intact street dogs for the presence of diseases and compares it with the sterilized dogs. It also studies the ABC program taken up and the health benefits of the program to the whole dog community in three cities, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Sawai Madhopur. Blood samples of dogs were taken in the three cities and it was tested for the presence of various viruses commonly found in dogs. From the data, it was found that the areas where ABC was conducted showed that there were lower signs of diseases in the non-treated dogs as compared to areas without ABC. This was because ABC helped in the decline of the dog population as well as it affected the behaviours of the treated dogs. The treated dogs were less aggressive which resulted in fewer injuries due to fighting amongst dogs and also less rabies incidence in humans due to biting. It was considered that the untreated dogs were less likely to get infections as their neighbouring dogs were treated. Some infections and diseases were still found amongst the treated dogs and it was considered that they were due to some environmental conditions.

It was concluded that ABC programs helped in reducing the frequency of diseases and infections with the exception of ticks. This was due to the fact that the treated dogs were kept in close quarters which helped spread the ticks between the dogs.

· A review of the interactions between free-roaming domestic dogs and wildlife

Joelene Hughes, David W. Macdonald Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK Biological Conservation 157 (2013) 341-351

The paper discusses about the impacts of dogs and wildlife. It helps understand the interaction and how the data can be used for wildlife preservation.

Dogs impact the wildlife in ways such as predation, competition, transmission of disease etc. it was found that free-roaming dogs have high interactions with humans in rural areas and may even move from cities or towns toward the surrounding areas where they encounter wildlife. Secondary Data was collected for humans to dog ratio in several countries for the year of 2012 and the interactions between dogs and wildlife was reviewed.

It was found that dogs act as a prey for larger carnivores such as lions and leopards. Some studies have shown that the dogs act as a completion for other carnivores and they are also the cause of disease transmission between the wildlife. Some studies have also shown hybridization between dogs and wild canids. Some papers discussed the threat that dogs pose towards endangered species as they become preys to them and it is a conservation issue.

Despite the records of problems caused by dogs toward wildlife, there are not many solutions offered. The local authorities were reluctant to help with the dog population management. There are other options for management that can be taken up with a collaboration with animal welfare organizations, but this can be tough to put in application due to contradictory views of the people. Some may prefer to relocate the dogs in order to save the wildlife while others would suggest a different method that would help them all coexist together peacefully. One suggestion that can be applied is the combination of sterilization and the vaccination of dogs.

· Assessing demographic and epidemiologic parameters of rural dog populations in India during mass vaccination campaigns

Aniruddha V. Belsare∗, Matthew E. Gompper Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Preventive Veterinary medicine (2013)

The paper studies about the demographic data collected from a survey of 6 villages in Maharashtra. The survey was conducted by taking pictures and gathering blood samples of dogs. The programme helped to collect data and understand the threats of diseases and understand disease control measures.

Dogs are a threat to people and animals as they are carriers of pathogens. In India, Rabies kills thousands of people every year. Thus, vaccinations are done to prevent the spread of diseases. Vaccinations help reduce viral dogs and help by acquiring herd immunity in dogs. The vaccination program is dependent on precise information of the population. In India, exact information of the demographics of dog population is lacking which can cause problems while understanding the threat of pathogens and is also problematic for getting disease and population control methods.

The survey was done to document the demographic characteristics of dogs and check baseline antibodies in dogs. Mass vaccination campaigns were organized with help from the Maharashtra Forest Department and people were also made aware of the program and its benefits.

Results showed that human to dog ratio was around 3:4 and vaccination coverage was estimated to be around 34%. The average male-to-female sex ratio in dogs was around 1:5. It was observed that a large number of dogs were exposed to pathogens. The program gave opportunity to assess demographic parameters and gather data on the incidence, distribution and control of dog transmitted diseases.

Discussion

Dog rescue

Dog rescue typically refers to taking in injured dogs, treating them and then finding them a new home to live or just releasing them back to their natural habitat. It also includes vaccinating them against canine viruses and sterilization to keep the population under control. There are two types of dogs that need to be rescued; the abandoned pet dogs and the injured street dogs. Pets are abandoned for various reasons; they are often left alone in the streets to fend for themselves. Pet dogs are very different than street dogs. They live in a different environment with comfortable shelter, timely food and are surrounded by loving and caring humans. When these pets are left on the streets, it becomes difficult for them to survive. They are not used to hunting food and living in open spaces. This leads to problems such as starvation and clashes from other dogs living in that area. If a new dog enters into the territory of other dogs, it is usually attacked by the pack living there and is left alone with no assistance or medical care. These dogs need to be taken in and given medical treatment. After they have recovered, they are usually put for adoption. The rescue of street dogs is different. They have no timely medical support provided like pet dogs. They incur injuries by getting into fights with other dogs or accidents such as getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. Many dogs also develop skin or bone diseases and are left out with no cure. The wounds remain untreated and tend to get infected my maggots which worsens the injury. These dogs are rescued by animal rescue organizations, treated for their injuries and then released. Stray dogs are not used to continuous human interaction thus it is very important that they are handled with patience and care so that their recovery process gets smooth.

Vaccination and sterilization

Dog vaccination and sterilization is done by a lot of rescue organizations. Vaccination is important to protect them from various diseases, most commonly the rabies virus. Vaccination helps improve herd immunity and it also reduces the risk of the virus being transmitted to humans.

Sterilization is beneficial in controlling the dog population. It is carried out through Animal Birth Control programs (ABC). This involves catching the dog, sterilizing it and releasing it. Studies have shown that sterilized dogs have better health and are less likely to get diseases. This also helped the non-sterilized dogs as their chances of being exposed to diseases were reduced. Another positive aspect noticed was that, the dogs became less aggressive as their hormonal cycle was halted. This resulted in decreased dogs fighting amongst themselves and the number of injuries was reduced. Vaccination and sterilization is a long-term solutions. As strays live in such close proximity to humans they are likely to transmit diseases.

Human-Dog relationship

Over the years, we have seen dogs play an important role in the lives of us humans. We have them as Pet, Guard dog, Therapy dog, etc. They have lived with and along with us for centuries. Besides the domesticated dogs, Street dogs too have proven to be helpful in many ways. If treated right, they would help protect our area from intruders or other rabid dogs. These dogs have adapted to survive in urban cities finding places to sleep and also discovering new food sources.

Humans and dogs living together has caused many conflicts too. Dogs carry the rabies virus, this virus if transmitted to humans can prove to be life-threatening. As dog population has increased over the years, the number of rabies incidents have also increased. Many people are opposed to having dogs around their locality fearing dog bites and the diseases they spread. Various steps have been taken by the government and rescue organizations to help reduce animal-human conflicts.

Findings

Secondary data was gathered on animal rescue organization called ResQ, situated in Pune, Maharashtra. ResQ is a non-profit organisation that has been working to help save lives of injured animals by providing them needed medical care and it aims to reduce human-animal conflicts through various programs such as educating the next generation.

ResQ Against rabies

ResQ in collaboration with Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have started a program named“ResQagainstRabies”. They started with a survey to check immunity levels of dogs against rabies by measuring the rabies antibodies in Pune. They began by collaring and vaccinating200 dogs in Khadki, Pune, in 2018. Blood samples were collected to check antibodies, and every 6 months blood samples are recollected and checked. Besides that, they have gathered information on the census of the free-ranging dogs in Pune and have also developed an app to help with the process. The estimated dog population in Pune region is 3.5Lakhs which sums the human to dog population in Pune to be around 14:1.

ResQ has 3 onsite teams and is situated centrally in Bhugaon, Pune, with two mini ambulances and one large ambulance to help transport and treat the injured animals of all sizes. They have been operating since 2007 to treat and take care of animals. They also have a treatment facility and a re-homing centre. Street dogs with injuries are taken in and treated and then released, while abandoned pet dogs are put up for adoption after their treatment. They have developed a website where people can easily report for accident cases of animals.

Besides the treatment, they have actively taken part in educating society members about what they can do to help stray and teach them how to peacefully coexist with animals in their environment. They conduct programs in schools and colleges to create awareness. In addition to this, they are starting a new initiative called “Abhay Sankalp” in collaboration with Human Society International India (HSI). Communities facing conflicts with animals living there would be helped by electing a member to help and find out solutions for their problems. ResQ will be guiding them through it. Through this, they would be able to reach a larger number of people to help and spread awareness at the same time and assist in reducing the conflicts between animals and humans.

Suggestions

It is not possible to treat all the dogs living in Pune as there are too many of them and the resources are enough only for a few. To effectively deal with the situation each area of Pune should have at least one animal rescue organisation that would provide free treatment. The government and the NGO’s should work together to achieve this. People can help by donating to such organisations and spreading awareness.

India has Government laws to help protect these animals, but they need to be revised and more focus should be given on its execution. People should also be made aware of these laws.

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