Those soulfully begging eyes just melt your heart. Yet another city stray, sick, starving, and desperate. Its fur is patchy, and you can count all its ribs. A Twitter user said that though there were laws, not many were being followed the way they should be.The scrawny dog approaches you hesitantly, ready to shy away at the least hint of threat, but with hopeful eyes.

However, pet owners complain that the laws, though spelt out, are not adequately implemented to the benefit of animals and pet owners. The AWBI guidelines spell out that feeding strays was a legally protected activity and also encourage caregivers and feeders to get these dogs vaccinated and sterilized. Lately, stray dogs were responsible for a spate of child deaths in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur.

The guidelines urge care givers to clean up after feeding the dog. The Board also sets out guidelines for caregivers of stray dogs, asking them to follow hygienic feeding techniques when feeding strays in public and ensuring that strays are not fed in the vicinity of children’s playgrounds or heavily crowded areas.

RWAs and AOAs also cannot create any by-laws to implement bans or restrictions on residents getting pet dogs, or even discriminate upon the size or breed of the dog. RWAs or AOAs also do not have the right to deny pet owners use of elevators and other public resources such as parks. According to the guidelines, no amount of pressure from RWA or society can be adequate for abandoning a pet animal and doing so is a punishable offence. The Animal Welfare Board of India has set out clear guidelines for pet owners and those who feed stray dogs inside Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and Apartment Owners’ Associations (AOA). 'Nyaaya' recently posted a tweet-thread in which it shared the laws set out by the Indian government regarding pets and strays. So one of our team recently had issues with their housing society regarding feeding street dogs. #Dogs #Pets #LawDog lovers, pet owners and people who care for street dogs, you need to read this.

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