Inclusive Understandings of Street Dogs and Health

In Season 7 of The Animal Turn podcast, focused on Animals and Health, the lives of free-roaming dogs in India was often used as a fulcrum around which to think about multispecies health and questions of justice. Many of the interviewees who appeared on the show challenged established conceptions of how humans and dogs interact and advocated for more inclusive understandings of how street dogs shape the geography, history, and ecology of Indian cities.

Through analyzing British documents in the archives, Heeral Chhabra found that colonial powers and urban authorities discursively framed street dogs in India as health risks that needed to be destroyed and that the “destruction” of dogs was widespread. For example, in the early 20^th century, over 12,000 dogs were killed in a single year in Calcutta. The language used in archival materials, such as discussing the “destruction” of animals, reveals a troubling attitude towards urban animals. For Heeral, the idea that dogs were risks and nuisances raised ethical questions about whose health is prioritized in urban governance.. What is particularly interesting is how colonial policies, which sought to 'eliminate' street dogs, echo in modern urban management strategies seeking to create cleaner, safer environments at the expense of these animals. The most recent example of this is, of course, the announcement by the Supreme Court on the 12^th of August 2025, that free-roaming dogs would be rounded up to avoid dog bites – a decision that has since been overturned.   

The management of urban animals such as free-roaming dogs involves, then, a range of necro- and bio- political interventions. Using “destruction” instead of “killing” to describe the urban management of dogs is a rhetorical trick that is somewhat reflective of what  Achille Mbembe would call ‘necropolitics’- the politics of deciding who lives and who dies. Heeral points, however, that “historically, mass killings of dogs never worked”. Over time, the explicit colonial necropolitics of destruction made way for a softer, yet equally powerful logic: biopolitics.

Once independent, policymakers in India would replace the language of “destruction” with language such as “humane removal” and “rehabilitation.” While the discourse, as well as their accompanying practices of spay, neuter, release are often framed as being for the betterment of the dogs, they are (in this context) better understood as a continuation of necropolitics because they are used to justify similar outcomes – the removal and problematization of free-roaming dogs. If animals aren’t spoken of in policy and regulation as live beings, then street dogs become nothing more than a practical problem to be solved

As discussed by Krithika Srinivasan and Guillem Rubio-Ramon, the biopolitical categorization of dogs as a health risk facilitates their problematization, and problematization paves the way for action. They occupy, alter, and navigate urban spaces over which humans want ownership and control. After all, the reasoning goes, we shaped these cities as a testament to our progress and modernization, and thus non-human agency, and sometimes even their presence, becomes a problem.

Rabies has been a persistent challenge in the management of urban dogs in India and it highlights the interconnectedness of animal and human health, a fact that continues to inform public health planning today. Heeral emphasizes that dogs, often blamed for spreading rabies, are as much victims as they are vectors for disease; urging policy makers to consider the health of animals within the broader context of their urban environments. This sentiment is reinforced through Anindita’s ecological understanding of India’s urban canines. Anindita stresses the importance of dogs’ complex urban relations for health in shared environments.

These ecological entanglements raise questions about self-domestication and evolutionary shifts in urban wildlife, challenging conventional perceptions of domesticated animals. Anindita offers insights into the significant role dogs play in urban ecosystems, highlighting the importance of recognizing other species as potential sources of zoonotic diseases like rabies. The episode also addresses the impact of improper waste disposal on the health of multiple species that scavenge urban garbage, underscoring the need for better waste management practices.

These scholars explore the concept of multispecies health and question typical human-centric views of public health. They argue for a more comprehensive understanding of health that includes the well-being of non-human species. By examining the roles dogs play in Indian society, these scholars show how important it is to acknowledge dogs’ presence and contributions to urban development and functioning. They recognize the significance of the socio-cultural milieus in which dogs belong and the opportunities for multispecies collaboration that can start there. As the rest of this season of The Animal Turn builds on, the real challenge lies in reimagining urban health as something built with animals rather than against them.

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Herre de Bondt completed his PhD in anthropology at Roehampton University in London in 2025 for which he dove into the world of bird feeding in gardens and public urban spaces. With a background in anthropology and urban studies, Herre conducted various multispecies research projects ranging from crows in Tokyo, to gulls in The Hague, and to rats in Amsterdam. Previously a fellow with the Animal Turn, Herre now volunteers as an assistant content producer for the show. 

You can connect with Herre via Twitter (@HerreBondt).Learn more about our team here.