India’s Supreme Court Orders Mass Sheltering of Stray Dogs – Why We Are Deeply Concerned
On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of India ordered the immediate capture, sterilisation, vaccination, and permanent sheltering of all stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region. Once removed, no dog is to be returned to the streets. Authorities have just eight weeks to complete the operation, backed by CCTV monitoring, a 24-hour helpline, and legal penalties for anyone obstructing the process.
The move was justified on public safety grounds, citing rabies cases and dog-bite incidents—particularly affecting children and older citizens.
While public safety is an essential priority, Dogs Desk Animal Action views this decision with alarm—because we have already seen exactly what happens when a government attempts this approach. Turkey tried it. Turkey is failing.
Our Experience in Turkey – The Warning India Should Heed
In mid-2024, Turkey passed almost identical legislation: every stray dog to be rounded up, sterilised, vaccinated, and permanently kept in shelters. On paper, it looked organised and humane. In reality, it has became a tragedy for dogs and a public relations disaster for the government.
1. Shelters That Couldn’t Cope
Before the law, Turkey already had serious shelter overcrowding. Many municipalities ran underfunded, understaffed facilities. Shelters are still few & far between.
The new law required housing for millions of dogs. The country only had space for a fraction of that number. Within months, shelters were grossly overcrowded, disease spread rapidly, and resources were stretched to breaking point.
Overcrowding led to stress, aggression, and a collapse in welfare standards. The idea of “safe” sheltering quickly became a grim reality of dogs living in misery.
2. A Path to Mass Killing
When shelters reached capacity, municipalities began quietly euthanising dogs—sometimes under the label of “disease control” or “dangerous dog removal”.
We personally encountered cases where healthy, friendly dogs were killed simply to create space.
The law became, in effect, a legislated cull.
3. The Vacuum Effect in Action
Removing every dog from the streets created empty territories. Within weeks, unsterilised dogs from surrounding areas moved in.
The original population—many already vaccinated and sterilised—was replaced by new, unvaccinated, unsterilised dogs, often more fearful and aggressive.
Far from reducing bites and rabies risk, public safety problems persisted
4. Broken Bonds Between Communities and Their Dogs
In Turkey, many street dogs are part of a neighbourhood’s life—fed, named, and cared for by locals. The mass removals caused deep distress in communities, eroding public trust in animal control authorities.
Why This Matters for India
Delhi-NCR has over one million stray dogs. Municipal shelters currently house less than 5,000. Attempting to relocate every dog will almost certainly overwhelm the system—just as it did in Turkey.
The consequences could be:
Severe welfare crises in overcrowded shelters.
Increased risk of mass euthanasia when facilities run out of space.
Loss of vaccinated, sterilised street dogs, replaced by unvaccinated, unsterilised newcomers from outside the area.
Breakdown of community trust and cooperation in humane animal management.
A Better Way Forward
From what we have witnessed in Turkey, we believe India can avoid this crisis by:
Strengthening the Animal Birth Control programme—sterilise, vaccinate, and return dogs to their home areas.
Investing in rabies prevention through wide-scale vaccination campaigns.
Educating communities on coexisting safely with street dogs.
Building capacity slowly—improving shelter conditions without using them as a blanket solution.
Our Message to Indian Lawmakers
We urge India’s leaders to learn from Turkey’s experience: mass sheltering on this scale is not humane, not sustainable, and not effective.
What begins as a well-intentioned effort to protect the public can end as a disaster for both animals and communities.Dogs Desk Animal Action stands ready to share detailed evidence from Turkey’s rollout of this policy—so India can choose a path grounded in compassion, science, and long-term success.
We will do whatever we can in our limited capacity to support small rescue organisations efforts in India to protect the lives of so many innocent animals, their only crime being born unwanted & unloved.
We urge you to sign the following petition & add your support to the fight for millions of dogs in India
Thank for fighting for our community dogs. I am a feeder in Rishikesh and this shakes me to my core. Sharing to everywhere I can find.