Jogger got bitten by stray dogs. Photo from facebook page Seen & Real. Credit to Seen & Real.
This is exactly what I was afraid would happen and today, it became a reality.
For years, whenever concerns were raised about stray dogs, some grown adult who defend the strays would say, “If you don't disturb their peace, they won't bite or chase you.” But who came up with that assumption which grown adult say that? A human being can simply be walking along, minding their own business, and still end up being chased and bitten.
Today, it was an adult. That person may now be traumatized, injured, or left with a permanent scar. What happens when the next victim is a child? What if the next incident results in a serious injuryor even death? At this point, we need to seriously ask who should be held responsible?
Is it the people who abandoned these animals in the first place? adults who continuously feed, defend and protect stray dogs while insisting that “they won't bite if you don't disturb them”? or is it the relevant government agencies that have been contacted repeatedly about these issues but failed to take effective action?
I am not saying every stray dog is dangerous OR potentially dangerous, nor am I saying animals should be harmed. But public safety cannot be dismissed simply because “they've never bitten me before.” We should not wait for a child to be seriously injured or for someone to lose their life before taking the problem seriously.