Pets have been an integral part of our society since ancient times. Ancient Egyptians used to keep cats as pets while Greeks, Chinese used to keep dogs. In the modern world, dogs and cats alongside hamsters and parrots are the most popular pets. Pets were popular because they were cute, cuddly, useful (for guarding for example), and more loyal to their masters than any human. 

My context for writing this article is more from personal observation and a desire to create a framework for the situation of pets in India. In India, everything is much more chaotic and disorganized than in the Western World or China, hence the need for this article.

​

Indian streets are full of stray dogs that live in crowded and dirty colonies alongside humans in their shanties. They survive on the leftovers (both vegetarian and non -vegetarian) by humans and possess unnaturally strong resilience towards diseases and digestion system. Most of their food is covered with dust and other mildly toxic materials yet they not only survive but also reproduce healthily in such a hostile environment. Their water consumption is rain or the runoff water which is carried away from houses where people wash their cars and garages. 

​

Now, India does have a small pet industry, especially in the bigger cities but only a very small percentage of strays are actually used there to be sold as pets. On top of that, India imports many foreign breeds like pugs, bulldogs, and german shepherds which not only consumes foreign exchange but also leaves many strays homeless.

​

Along with dogs, India also possesses many stray cats & monkeys that live in much-more wilder regions, of cities and villages. Partly the reasons are 

1) Their non-compliance with human whims

2) Their smaller and more agile bodies

3) Their diet being more carnivorous (cats)

4) Their aggressiveness (monkeys)

Despite monkeys and cats also present in India, Dogs are still the largest constituent of the strays in India. And management of them is a big problem will be tackled next.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

​

If we were to give an easy and one-word answer to this problem, we can surely say "Adoption"!. Sounds neat and easy. If a larger number of lonely Indians started adopting these dogs instead of wasting their time on fruitless dating or foreign breeds, a large portion of street dogs would get homes. Right? Yes but only that it's not as simple as it sounds.

Here is the list of problems that come with a realistic, mass adoption practice in India. 

1) Disruption of the daily schedule of busy adoptees

2) Lack of dog-dog socialization

3) Dog hate inertia slow to go! (Mass Adoption Improbability)

4) Cost (Indian incomes0)

​

​

​