Dogs are not the only party poopers

Stray dogs — or “roadesians” as they are sometimes affectionately called — hugely outnumber pet pooches in India, so any canine call to action has a totally different dimension here.

No wonder resident welfare associations in urban India are going potty trying to deal with the issue of dog droppings in their shrinking public spaces. Pet owners can indeed be hounded into using that masterly modern western innovation called the poop scoop, but what about those dogs who do not “belong” to anyone and cannot be monitored or potty trained? Besides, there are significant numbers of non-canine quadrupeds who also inhabit the same areas — most of whom non-domesticated — who use the same green patches and back alleys for their daily ablutions.

Would city administrations in India eventually resort to hiring a separate category of anti-dumping staff to deal with their excretions given the rising public concern about cleanliness?

Then there is the issue of stray human beings — i.e., those who do not belong to areas they are traversing — doing exactly what their itinerant canine, feline and rodent counterparts do: relieve themselves around the nearest walls and on pavements with nary a thought for hygiene (personal and peripheral), pollution or propriety. Maybe the poop scoop market should be extended to include them as well.