Street Dogs of India - From Survival to Becoming Internet Sensations

From tea stalls to temple courtyards, India’s street dogs often called ' desi dogs ' or the Indian pariah dog are part of the everyday landscape. They’re a naturally evolved landrace native to the subcontinent, remarkably adaptable and deeply entwined with community life.

Life on the margins

Street dogs survive on leftovers, roadside kindness, and quick wits. Many form loose packs around steady food sources like markets and canteens. Without routine care, they face risks from traffic, disease, and harsh weather but they also learn routes, timings, and people who look out for them.

Built by nature, not by breed

Unlike selectively bred pedigree dogs, desi dogs are shaped by natural selection. Medium-sized, agile, and heat-tolerant, they typically have short coats, erect ears, and curled tails traits suited to India’s climate. Their intelligence and problem-solving skills help them navigate complex urban spaces.

Neighbours, not nuisances

Community relationships matter. Regular feeders often become informal caretakers, offering clean water and leftover food, and sometimes arranging vaccinations or sterilisation. When dogs are well-fed and vaccinated, they’re less likely to roam aggressively and can even deter rodents and alert neighbourhoods to intruders.

A Supreme Court twist

On August 12, 2025, India’s Supreme Court declared that the streets of New Delhi were no longer home for its stray dogs. Alarmed by reports of dog attacks, including cases where children were mauled, the court ordered that all strays in the capital be rounded up and locked in shelters within eight weeks. The announcement caused panic among animal lovers and welfare groups, who argued that the city lacked the infrastructure to house its stray population estimated at around 1 million.

Relief and revision

Just 10 days later, on August 22, a three-judge bench stayed the earlier order, clarifying that stray dogs should instead be sterilised, immunised, and released back to their original areas. Only rabid or overly aggressive dogs were to be permanently removed. The revised ruling applied across India, while also banning public feeding on streets and calling for designated feeding zones.

A controversial decision

The court’s intervention was swift, decisive, and controversial in a country where animals are traditionally respected. By law, India prohibits euthanising healthy strays, following the 2001 Animal Birth Control Rules, which mandate neutering and vaccinating strays before release. But implementation is a challenge: with an estimated 62 million stray dogs nationwide, limited funds and infrastructure make it difficult to sterilise dogs faster than they reproduce.

Vaccination saves lives

Rabies remains a public health concern, yet it is preventable. Mass dog vaccination and sterilisation are recognised globally as the most effective strategies to control rabies and stabilise dog populations. Many municipalities and nonprofits in India conduct drives, though scaling up remains a challenge.

From curbside to celebrity

Despite the hurdles, Indian strays have carved a special place in the digital world. Adoption stories, playful antics, and rescue-to-home transformations have made 'indies' social media stars. Their rise has challenged the bias towards pedigrees, proving desi dogs are equally loving, trainable, and photogenic.


India’s street dogs reflect the resilience of its cities tough, resourceful, and intertwined with daily life. Their journey from survival to internet stardom is shaped not only by their instincts but also by how society responds: with fear, neglect, or compassion. The Supreme Court’s rulings underline the urgent need for humane, scalable solutions. Ultimately, coexistence rooted in empathy and effective public health measures remains the only sustainable way forward.