September 28th is World Rabies Day, an important time to acknowledge this often overlooked global health threat and the lethal stigma it brings to stray dogs. Unfortunately, 99% of human rabies infections are spread through interactions with dogs, often from stray dog bites. The issue of rabies brings a dangerous and lethal stigma to the life of stray dogs, further isolating them from the help they so desperately need. Many people, driven by fear of the disease, view stray dogs not as emotional, loving, sentient beings in need of care and compassion, but instead as health hazards. It's estimated that millions of dogs every year are killed due to fear of rabies.
Stray dogs find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle: neglected by the community, they lack access to healthcare and shelter, which in turn intensifies the very conditions that feed into the fear of rabies. This dangerous stigma not only makes life harder for these dogs but also makes it much harder to address the rabies epidemic in a responsible and humane way. Back in 2016, a man named Jose Maveli began shooting stray dogs near his home in India. He encouraged others to do the same. Even though killing stray dogs is illegal in India, he also claimed to have offered to pay others to kill street dogs and that he paid “around 50 people” who took him up on his offer. Alarmingly, A BBC news source says “his campaign seems to have encouraged many others to break the law.” In another incident in Kalady in India, 17 members of a village council killed over 20 dogs. Without a humane, permanent solution, stray dogs will continue to be unfairly punished for being homeless, hungry, and sick.
To tackle this problem at its core, 600 Million Dogs is committed to developing a safe, edible, one-dose, permanent-lasting birth control Cookie for stray dogs and cats. By providing a long-term solution to dramatically decrease the stray dog population, our mission aims to prevent the suffering of animals and create safer environments for humans and dogs alike. While rabies is carefully controlled in the U.S., rabies continues to be present in over 150 countries across the globe. On World Rabies Day, let’s work towards a humane, permanent solution to protect humans and stray dogs from needless suffering.
600 Million Dogs: Our nonprofit science-centered mission is to significantly reduce animal suffering on a global scale by developing a safe, edible, one-dose, permanent-lasting birth control Cookie for stray dogs and cats.