Anupma Khanna | Dehradun
Recently in Bhauwala, Dehradun, an elderly pet dog was found tied outside a house in the rain, his body infested with ticks and swollen testicles with maggots. Sick and in severe pain, he could barely move. According to animal welfare volunteer Manish Rawat, attempts to persuade his family to seek treatment got the response that since the dog was old, there was no point in treating him.
Rawat, founder of Hope for Animals, and his team rescued the dog and arranged veterinary treatment, including blood transfusions. His haemoglobin was just 2.5 g/dL, against a normal range of around 12–18 g/dL in dogs, and he had tick fever and other health problems. Twenty-five days later, he is alive, walking, eating and recovering. “Had we not rescued him, he would not have survived more than two days,” Rawat told The Pioneer. The NGO has filed a police complaint against the owners.
Cruelty towards pets takes many forms. One commonly reported in Dehradun is prolonged tethering, normalised in a section of society. To illustrate, on Old Survey Road, a Labrador and Golden Retriever are reportedly tied for over fourteen hours daily, from around 6 am to 9 pm, with barely ten minutes off the leash during this period. When they bark or cry in frustration, they are allegedly intimidated and hit with sticks. Much of such cruelty remains unreported, leaving animals chained, confined and neglected.
Dehradun chief veterinary officer, Dr DK Chand, said cruelty is not limited to physically beating or injuring an animal. Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, cruelty includes habitually chaining or confining an animal in a manner causing unnecessary suffering, inadequate food, water, movement or veterinary care, and wilful neglect or abandonment. The Act specifies no fixed duration beyond which tethering becomes cruelty; each case is assessed on its circumstances.
Dr Kailash Uniyal, president of the Uttarakhand State Veterinary Council stressed that bringing home a pet does not give an owner unrestricted control. “When you bring a pet into your home, that animal becomes a member of your family. A pet is a living, sentient being and needs freedom of movement, social interaction and mental stimulation. Our responsibility extends as much to the animal’s emotional and behavioural well-being as it does to providing food, shelter and veterinary care,” he said.
Veterinarian Dr Mithila Jatin Singhal called prolonged tethering unacceptable. “Taking away the freedom of a living being by keeping it tied for long periods is one of the worst forms of cruelty towards pets,” she said. Delayed or denied veterinary treatment and abandonment are other forms of pet cruelty commonly encountered in Dehradun, experts said.
They also warned that deprivation of movement and social interaction can cause frustration, behavioural problems and aggression, with public-safety implications. Veterinarians and animal-welfare workers identified irresponsible owner mindset, lack of awareness and public apathy as major challenges. Some witnesses regard cruelty as a private matter; others fear retaliation, particularly from neighbours. “Since cruelty towards pets mostly takes place within homes, neighbours and others in the vicinity have a crucial role in bringing such cases to light,” Chand said. Written complaints can be submitted to the District Magistrate, CVO, State SPCA or Animal Welfare Board, he added. Rawat explained intervention can be difficult as owners often become confrontational, police support is not always forthcoming and shelter space is limited. Experts stressed better post-rescue infrastructure, stricter pet-registration enforcement and stronger legal provisions, alongside responsible pet ownership and a willingness to report cruelty.
