Castrated Indians. The dog's day (and night) have arrived.

The next night I am woken again at 3am by several stray dogs barking loudly on the street right outside my window & think "Am I the only one who's sleep & health are being destroyed by dogs?"
I get online and look up "stray dogs barking" and find several Indians from all over the country whining about the problem (pun intended) on online forums. In case you're one of them - get off your lazy ass and do something you whiny bastard!

Come 9am the next day I call the dog catchers & no one answers the phone. Dog catchers are normally contract employees that the Municipal Corporation hires to capture the dogs and neuter them. By law dogs are re-released in the same locality they were captured from so that they can continue to bite passers-by and torment sleeping citizens at night by their incessant howling. No, no that's not it. They're put back where they belong so that they can raise the real estate value of the neighborhood. No wait. That's not it either. They're put back so that people in the neighborhood who've been taking anti-rabies shots for fun don't miss their omnipotent presence. That must be it.

Where was I? Right, the Pune Municipal Corporation. Somehow I manage to get a call in to the dog-catchers I find on Justdial.com and lodge a complaint. They turn up, say they caught 3 dogs & now want 'chai money' (read bribe). I ask them what they'll do with the dogs. "Neuter them & re-release them right where we found them." Problem not solved. Meanwhile a huge crowd of local residents has collected and is begging the dog catcher to take away more dogs and never bring them back. "Please! Please!" one man shouts, "my kids can't study and my wife can't sleep. I'll pay you whatever you want".

I manage to get hold of the phone number of the official in charge of the dog squad who glibly but politely tells me that neutered dogs cannot be moved and that his hands are tied. Also that their night-van is not operational because their contracts have dried up & they're "working on it". He says he feels my pain but is powerless to do anything worthwhile. I thank him for his valuable time and hang up.

All you tax-paying Indians who stay awake & dream of nights when you could sleep peacefully - you've been castrated. The law favours canine strays over your health and productivity. Unlike pubs, parties and discoes you can't stop a dog from barking after 10:30pm. Still sitting on your sorry asses? Read on.