Corporation To Intensify Sterilisation Drive Against Stray Dogs

Residents feel threatened by aggressive canines, say programme is of no use; officials say they cannot go beyond sterilisation and vaccination.

- R. Srikanth

Residents in various parts of the city have complained about the menace of community dogs on streets, while Chennai Corporation officials claim they are unable to go beyond control measures of sterilisation and vaccination. With the availability of food in overflowing dustbins and their natural instinct to be territorial, community dogs bark at residents, chase people on vehicles and, in some instances, even bite or scratch residents.

Thanigaiarasu Govindaraju, a resident of Ashtalakshmi Nagar in Valasaravakkam, says that his area had a number of aggressive community dogs, causing hardship to motorists and small children. He says his daughter was injured after being chased by dogs.

Over 7 km away from Valasaravakkam, T. Gunaseelan, of Varadarajapuram in Ambattur, says that because of his late hours at work, he finds the ride back home traumatic. Once, while riding back from his office on Anna Salai after work, he fell off his two-wheeler after being chased by a pack of community dogs near his house.