#Pinkaluru: Your stray dogs are your protectors
- While assaults are becoming common in Bengaluru, the dogs may come to the rescue.
- Multiple residents Asianet Newsable spoke to confirm, stray dogs defend their 'own'.
- So perhaps giving them a few biscuits might prove handy in the long run.
FollowAs long working hours and night shifts become common in Bengaluru, the city's nightlife has certainly picked up.
Sadly, though, the city has also witnessed a series of sexual assaults during these hours.
While solutions range from the long-term transformation of societal norms to short-term 'self-defence' classes, animal activists say that the humble stray dog may prove more useful when harassers try to approach women.
Former Additional Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Parvez Ahmed Piran, says that stray dogs are time and again portrayed as demons, but this attitude is quite wrong.
At times, the stray will come to your rescue. Interestingly, in areas with a large number of stray dogs, thefts are reduced as they bark at strangers and intruders.
"When a thief or intruder becomes afraid, they sweat and release a particular hormone. These hormone is not liked by stray dogs, hence they bark and charge at those persons. Theft and other crimes in the area can be checked," he said.
Agreeing with Dr Piran, K Mohan, animal rescuer says he has come across a case where homeowners and residents become alerted whenever thief and robbers try barging their area.
"The same dogs can also bark at harassers and sexual predators in case they try to follow women walking in the late evenings after work," said Mohan.
Vinay Moray, Sarvodaya Animal Welfare Organisation, says there are so many stories about stray dog rescuing humans.
"In my locality, when a thief tried to enter at night, the residents were alerted as stray dogs were continuously barking. The fear of getting bitten and caught by people made the robbers flee from the scene," he said.
Shantha Mary, a slum dweller from Eijipura, lives by the roadside after her shed was demolished. She has been residing in a tent over the past last two years and look after three stray dogs. She says her tent is very prone to get burgled, but she can live peacefully as the dogs do not allow strangers to come near her tent.
The moral of the anecdotes is simple - from both a humanitarian point of view and perhaps with a few of protection, feeding the stray dogs in your locality with a few biscuits daily may go a long way.
