At a time when the public is divided on how to treat community dogs, a school in the mountainous district of Almora in Uttarakhand has taken a clear stand on the issue.
Following the recent Supreme Court order directing the removal of community dogs from educational institutions, hospitals and other public spaces, a private school in Almora district has expressed its disagreement with this order and has urged authorities to reconsider it.
The school authorities have stated that they teach their students to treat dogs and other animals with compassion and considering that nobody in the school has had any problems with dogs so far, the court orders are contrary to what the children are being taught and have experienced.
The private school released a communication stating that a small, stable group of dogs have coexisted peacefully with the students, staff and visitors for a long time. Removing these dogs would lead to unnecessary distress including intrusion by other unfamiliar dogs.
Talking to The Pioneer, principal of the Spring Dales School in Almora, Jyotsna Sohanlal, said that both the school management and herself disagree with the recent SC decision. She emphasised that schools should be environments where students learn about moral values and empathy.
She believes that the removal of stray dogs could diminish the empathy that students develop. Consequently, the school issued a statement asserting that they believe in maintaining a stable, monitored population of resident dogs as the most humane and peaceful solution. Sohanlal also said that the authorities have previously urged respect and dignity towards animals, suggesting that the recent ruling contradicts that message. In light of this, she stated that they request the SC to reassess its order.
However, not all agree with the stance taken by their school. Clinical neuropsychologist and CBSE counsellor Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta supported the SC order. She said that if the dogs are vaccinated, it is not a major issue; however, if they are not, they can pose serious health risks to individuals.
The recent court decision is justified, but the authorities must ensure that after the removal of the dogs, they are relocated to safe shelters and properly vaccinated, she said.
"Earlier, a private school in Dehradun was hosting a race when a principal released a dog that bit a student during the event. In light of this and other similar incidents, I support the recent decision to remove stray dogs from educational institutions and other settings,” the president of the National Association for Parents' and Students' Rights (NAPSR), Arif Khan, said.
