written by priya agarwal hebbar non executive director vedanta limitedmy close bond with dogs dates back to my childhood when i used to bring injured puppies home from the street and nurse them back to health since then they have been my close companions i have 5 of them at home dogs and humans have had a special bond for millennia and have evolved together creating a truly unique companionshipthe true essence of celebrating international dog day is in ensuring the welfare of all dogs regardless of breed size gender or age the day is celebrated to encourage people to adopt more dogs instead of buying them the first time it was celebrated was 26th aug 2004 when the animal oracle colleen paiges adopted her first dog sheltie from a local shelter since then the day is marked to highlight the importance of adopting dogs as opposed to buying them when you buy a dog from a pet store there is an element of supporting those who put profits ahead of the welfare of animals occasionally to the point of cruelty with inappropriate breeding practices in india there is no need to buy since we have so many dogs looking for a homeunfortunately the stray dog has become that one animal which is neglected the recent news is filled with incidences of cruelty against strays be it abandonment or attacking these voiceless lives have no access to nutritious food health facilities or love we can help by adopting them in numbers but we must also help by controlling the population to minimize conflict between dogs and communities india has 20 million stray dogs out of which only 10 have been sterilized immunized which is not enough to control the steep rise in the dog populationthere is a clear need for a robust animal healthcare ecosystem in india with a focus beyond just home pets but the veterinary ecosystem is still at a nascent stage india has only around half of its required number of veterinarians 63000 registered veterinarians today as compared to the requirement of between 11 12 lakh i believe a comprehensive approach is imperative for ensuring dog and human welfare health and safety a major obstacle is the spay and neuter of strays almost all abc programs have only targeted urban centers completely ignoring the rural centers another concern is rabies which is the cause of the death of more than 50000 people annually a systematic and scientific plan must also include a mass vaccination drive to the control rabies in dogsof course many nonprofits and individuals who are doing admirable work for stray dogs it is because of these individuals and organizations along with progressive government policies that strays are in a better condition in some geographies ten years ago i started an animal shelter yoda youth organization in defense of animals which not only works to provide shelter healthcare to needy animals but is also continuously working towards sensitizing people and