Any time a Hamletian opens any of the society WhatsApp groups, s/ he is bound to see at least one message complaining about dog pee/ poo or one debate raging on about where dogs should be allowed to walk or not.
All of these are fair concerns specially the need for pet parents to be responsible and scoop after their pooches. But what do we say about residents who drive rashly on Janpath and hurt innocent dogs sleeping outside?
In our July edition, in the article titled ‘Traffic Vigilantes Unite’, we reminded our readers of the community dogs who have already become casualties to rash driving. On Thursday, 8 August, we had another incident where a Hamletian ran their car over a dog’s leg who was sleeping on the side of the road near the cobbler and who did not even halt to check on the dog.
Can we say anything to such residents? Do they even belong to a civilised world? How are we supposed to label them? Do you not see the dog sleeping on the road or do you not care? How does one even call oneself human if this basic humanity is missing?
Can we call such Hamletian names? Maybe for our satisfaction, yes, but the odds are stacked heavily against the poor community dogs! Can we expect them to come forward and own their action? Is it too much to expect that one at least takes the dog to a veterinary doctor immediately? Remember, hitting is not a crime; hitting and running is!
Our hearts break at such callous and shameless acts! The poor, injured community dog was struggling in the heavy rain, unable to walk/ put its leg down. The Happy Tails Foundation rescued it and took it for x-rays. God bless them.
