Stray thoughts in Compassionate City

Updated On: 31 August, 2025 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia

In the week of August 26, International Dog Day, and in the aftermath of the revised SC order on Delhi strays, we focus on stories of street dog favourites in Mumbai

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Cherry, a regular fixture at Cafe de la Paix in Girgaon. Pics courtesy/WSD

Meher Marfatia We seem to have been a lot civilised and sensitised a century ago. When the Bombay Dog Riots of 1832 sparked off a clear early example of public protection of animals — resulting in the construction of the Panjrapole animal shelter in 1834 at Bhuleshwar. Protesting the British government’s policy to massacre strays, two soft-hearted city sethias at the forefront of funding this facility — Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy and Amichand Shah — rallied animal lovers to campaign against the administration’s command to ruthlessly rid the town of strays.

Reacting to the recent (now amended) Supreme Court decision ordering Delhi strays off the streets and into shelters, Abodh Aras, CEO of the Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), in an online article for Scroll, explains that banishment does not achieve the objective of a reduction in the street canine population. The success of Bombay’s sustained dog sterilisation efforts is reflected in both official data and the reality of seeing how puppies and pregnant dogs are a rarer sight today.

Abodh Aras, CEO of the Welfare of Stray Dogs, with Lola on Marine Drive