Free-ranging urban dog
Encyclopedia
Free-ranging urban dog refers to populations of stray dogs on the streets of urban areas, especially the cities of India
, the former Soviet Union
, the Balkans
and Latin America
.
dogs that lived with people at some point, usually as pet
s. They have either been abandoned or accidentally released into urban area
s, and now fend for themselves. These dogs' offspring are also considered as strays, so the term "stray" may be applied to many generations removed from the original stray founder(s). The World Health Organization also called WHO estimates that there are more than 200 million stray dogs worldwide.
, which has existed all over Asia and Africa ever since human beings started living in settlements. They are, and have always been, scavengers–that is, they live on garbage created by humans. In India the landrace has existed for perhaps 14,000 years or more. In addition to scavenging, they are widely kept as pets by rural and urban slum households.
Part of the urban stray population consists of mongrels
or mix-breeds–descended from pure-breed dogs that have been allowed to interbreed with pariahs.
The size of stray dog populations always corresponds to the size and character of the human population of the area. Urban India has two features which create and sustain stray dog populations:
1) Large amounts of exposed garbage, which provide an abundant source of food.
2) A huge population of slum and street-dwellers, who often keep the dogs as free-roaming pets.
Mumbai has over 12 million human residents, of whom over half are slum-dwellers. At least 500 tons of garbage remain uncollected daily. Therefore, conditions are perfect for supporting a particularly large population of stray dogs."
Rabies
can be a fatal disease which can be transmitted to humans. Although all placental mammals can get and transmit rabies, dogs are one the most common carriers. India has the highest number of human rabies deaths
in the world (estimated at 35,000 per annum).
Dog bites can occur when dogs are trying to mate or fighting among themselves. Pedestrians and other humans in the vicinity may be bitten by the fighting dogs. Females with pups are often protective and may bite people who approach their litter.
Barking and howling is an accompaniment to dog fights which invariably take place over mating.
Urine smell is an unsavory product of territory marking
.
free-ranging urban dogs are usually referred to as: câinii maidanezi, maidanezii (ownerless and stray dogs – the strays), câinii comunitari (community/communitarian dogs), câinii vagabonzi (vagabond dogs), or câinii străzii (street-dogs). The online Romanian Explicative Dictionary lists the word maidanez as a noun or adjective denoting both ownerless dogs and vagrant, stray dogs (câine fără stăpân, câine vagabond). According to the same source, there is also the word vagabond, which is a noun or an adjective referring to humans and animals alike.
According to estimations in Bucharest
, in the year 2000 there were 200,000 free-ranging urban dogs.
The dogs have accustomed themselves to the flow of pedestrian and automobile traffic; they sit patiently with the people at the curb when they are stopped for a red light, and then cross with them as if a daily routine.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
Stray dogs
Stray dogs are domesticatedDomestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
dogs that lived with people at some point, usually as pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s. They have either been abandoned or accidentally released into urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s, and now fend for themselves. These dogs' offspring are also considered as strays, so the term "stray" may be applied to many generations removed from the original stray founder(s). The World Health Organization also called WHO estimates that there are more than 200 million stray dogs worldwide.
Why do stray dogs exist?
According to the Indian NGO Welfare for Stray Dogs (WSD): "Most free-roaming dogs belong to an ancient canine race known as the pariah dogPariah dog
The term pariah dog originally referred to Chinese/Indian feral dogs of a particular type, but it is now used by the United Kennel Club to refer to a purebred dog category.- Feral dogs of India :...
, which has existed all over Asia and Africa ever since human beings started living in settlements. They are, and have always been, scavengers–that is, they live on garbage created by humans. In India the landrace has existed for perhaps 14,000 years or more. In addition to scavenging, they are widely kept as pets by rural and urban slum households.
Part of the urban stray population consists of mongrels
Mixed-breed dog
A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
or mix-breeds–descended from pure-breed dogs that have been allowed to interbreed with pariahs.
The size of stray dog populations always corresponds to the size and character of the human population of the area. Urban India has two features which create and sustain stray dog populations:
1) Large amounts of exposed garbage, which provide an abundant source of food.
2) A huge population of slum and street-dwellers, who often keep the dogs as free-roaming pets.
Mumbai has over 12 million human residents, of whom over half are slum-dwellers. At least 500 tons of garbage remain uncollected daily. Therefore, conditions are perfect for supporting a particularly large population of stray dogs."
Problems caused by stray dogs
According to W.S.D: "Haphazard urban planning and human overpopulation have led to a correspondingly huge population of stray dogs in most Indian cities. They cause the following problems:Rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
can be a fatal disease which can be transmitted to humans. Although all placental mammals can get and transmit rabies, dogs are one the most common carriers. India has the highest number of human rabies deaths
Prevalence of rabies
Almost all human deaths caused by rabies originate from Asia and Africa. There are an estimated 55,000 human deaths annually from rabies worldwide.The English Channel, dog licensing, killing of stray dogs, muzzling and other measures contributed to the elimination of rabies from the United Kingdom...
in the world (estimated at 35,000 per annum).
Dog bites can occur when dogs are trying to mate or fighting among themselves. Pedestrians and other humans in the vicinity may be bitten by the fighting dogs. Females with pups are often protective and may bite people who approach their litter.
Barking and howling is an accompaniment to dog fights which invariably take place over mating.
Urine smell is an unsavory product of territory marking
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
.
Free-ranging urban dogs in Romania
In RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
free-ranging urban dogs are usually referred to as: câinii maidanezi, maidanezii (ownerless and stray dogs – the strays), câinii comunitari (community/communitarian dogs), câinii vagabonzi (vagabond dogs), or câinii străzii (street-dogs). The online Romanian Explicative Dictionary lists the word maidanez as a noun or adjective denoting both ownerless dogs and vagrant, stray dogs (câine fără stăpân, câine vagabond). According to the same source, there is also the word vagabond, which is a noun or an adjective referring to humans and animals alike.
According to estimations in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, in the year 2000 there were 200,000 free-ranging urban dogs.
Intelligence
Some of the stray dogs in Bucharest are seen crossing the large streets at pedestrian crosswalks. The dogs have probably noticed that when humans cross streets at such markings, cars tend to stop.The dogs have accustomed themselves to the flow of pedestrian and automobile traffic; they sit patiently with the people at the curb when they are stopped for a red light, and then cross with them as if a daily routine.
In culture
Viaţă de câine (A dog’s life) (1998), a Romanian documentary movie by Alexandru Solomon.See also
- Pariah dogPariah dogThe term pariah dog originally referred to Chinese/Indian feral dogs of a particular type, but it is now used by the United Kennel Club to refer to a purebred dog category.- Feral dogs of India :...
- Stray dogs in BangkokStray dogs in BangkokIt is estimated that there are over 120,000 stray dogs in Bangkok, Thailand. The management of these so-called soi dogs has become a serious problem in the capital.-Status:...
- Stray dogs in MoscowStray dogs in MoscowAmong Moscow's large population of homeless canines, a small minority who frequent or inhabit its metro have attracted international attention due to their having learned how to use the trains to commute to and from various locations.-Background:...
- DingoDingoThe Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
- Wolf
- SatoSato (dog)Sato is a Puerto Rican slang term referring to the feral dogs that inhabit its major cities. They are also known as 'Puerto Rican Found Dogs' in the United States. In Puerto Rico's metropolitan areas, satos can be found living in alleyways, under cars, and between refuse cans...
, strays in Puerto Rico
Further reading
- Beck, Alan M .1973. The ecology of stray dogs: A study of free-ranging urban animals. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press e-books.
- Ecollage. 2002. Dog Population Management & Canine Rabies Control. India’s Official Dog Control Program in an international context. Pune. pp. 1-9
- Irvine, Leslie. 2003. “The Problem of Unwanted Pets: A Case Study in How Institutions “Think” about Clients’ Needs” in Social Problems. Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 550-566
- Kato Masahiko, Hideki Yamamoto, Yoshihide Inukai and Shohei Kira. 2203. “Survey of the Stray Dog Population and the Health Education Program on the Prevention of Dog Bites and Dog-Acquired Infections: A Comparative Study in Nepal and Okayama Prefecture, Japan” in Acta Med. Okayama, Vol. 57. No. 5, pp. 261-266
External links
- straydogs.ro is a reference, news, and discussion site dedicated to the issue of stray dogs, especially in Romania.
- Final solution proposed for Bucharest’s stray dogs press article, may 2010
- www.beastsofthebalkans.com/bulgariandogs is a specific section on stray dogs from a website on “beasts, giants & creatures of nature in Bulgaria”
- www.sofiaecho.com details about the stray dog population of Sofia/Bulgaria
- http://www.wsdindia.org/ is a Mumbai-based organization working to eradicate rabiesRabiesRabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
and control the street-dog population in a humane, scientific way. - Account of stray dogs in Moscow, January 2010