My Sister and I adopted Pumbaa when the pandemic had just hit the world. Barely four months old, the Indy puppy had a pretty bad experience with their previous owners.
And that’s when we came to know how hostile the environment has become for dogs in Indian cities.
It seemed easier to adopt Pumbaa than to enter the parks of Delhi. One fine winter morning seemed the right time to take him out.
“stay away!” The message was as we entered our South Delhi park on a September 1st in 2020, wearing our masks and slowly exiting in fear of Covid. No signs read ‘No Entry’ or ‘No Pets Allowed’. But like most of Delhi’s mohallas, there was a hunt for self-styled watchdogs of public places. They were sunbathing on two corner benches. We let the Pumbaa off the leash after checking if they were comfortable with it.
He kept hitting every corner, sniffing each tree.
Soon, an elderly man came up to us, asking about the puppy. At first we thought he was starting a conversation, but then he resisted the idea of letting her get lost in the ‘almost empty’ park.
More importantly, we always carry extra paper bags to clean the mess as we understand the essential idea behind clean and hygienic surroundings.
The old man kept littering the park about the dogs, which Pumbaa clearly did not. He asked us to vacate the place and take the dog outside. It is rude to be asked by an unknown person to walk away without incident.
But this is no anomaly in India’s capital, with most residents opposed to bringing pets to community places. And the anger is increasing day by day.
Read also: Kerala shows the first face-off between activists and dog killers. the fight is spreading
RWA’s anger
Recently, a recent feature In impression My colleague Ratan Priya highlights that several incidents of dog bites in recent weeks have put Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and housing societies on edge. Cases of dog bites are becoming viral on social media in Delhi-NCR and recently in Mumbai.
This has sparked an all-out war between dog owners and RWAs—parks, gated communities, and even elevators.
“I have an American Bully, and contrary to how the breed is supposed to be, he is quite sociable and gets on quickly. We have tried taking him to local parks, but someone or the other complains. When There are children and elderly we try to avoid taking him inside the parks, but when we are interrupted for such normal daily tasks, it is rude,” a friend lamented to me.
Read also: The RWAs of Indian cities have declared war on dogs. Pet lovers are on the backfoot
no words and a lock
My sister and I decided to leave that September evening politely because it seemed wiser than a full-blown confrontation at the time. But we were deeply disappointed by the rash treatment and humiliation. But you can only control your actions. We stopped going there.
Running time changed. We chose the afternoon because most of the roads and parks were deserted at that time. It was becoming increasingly difficult during the summers to take a walk in the scorching heat to escape the glare of the “neighborhood watchers”.
Days passed, the weather changed, and almost the next winter was about to come. Pumbaa had turned a year old and had become an ‘alpha’ (according to him). By that time, we had started moving to a different park which already had stray puppies. It was a bonus for us. Some residents even built shelters for the puppies and their mothers to cope with the cold and rain. Many came and fed him. Pumbaa made new friends and we heaved a sigh of relief. But soon, we stopped by locking the gate.
“You can’t walk your dog here because it’s only accessible to residents,” said one person. We were surprised as stray puppies could be seen playing inside. We asked if there was any other specific reason, but they refused us entry.
It seemed that the gates of our faces were closing for no good reason. No amount of logic or powers backed by the Delhi High Court could open the locks. We conceded defeat.
Thankfully, many others are continuing to fight. It is nobody’s business to let dogs dirty a park or not to train them. But the colonies of NCR are closing the gate one by one. Not every dog has its day.
Thoughts are personal.