The Supreme Court’s directive to remove all stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and the National Capital Region, and permanently house them in shelters, has caused a split in opinion—mostly raising an outcry among dog lovers and animal rights activists, who have called the judgement “not a doable order.”

Several who have opposed the apex court’s judgement have underlined the unavailability of government-run dog shelters in the NCR region where the canines could be kept.

Read | Stray Dogs Case Hearing LIVE: Three-judge bench reserves order on stray dogs issue

Mixed Reactions on Social Media

The order has stirred conversations on social media, with many commenting on X. A user who goes by the name Arun Prabhudesai, and who defines himself as a CEO of a video production house, backed the order, saying that he himself is a “dog parent” but wants the directive to be implemented in Maharashtra too. “Stray dogs in India aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re a menace,” he said.

The CEO drew comparisons with other nations where dogs are not “free-roaming hazards.”

“We’ve normalised dog-bite cases, rabies deaths, and aggressive packs chasing kids, cyclists, and delivery personnel.

You don’t see this in any other country. Go to Singapore, Japan, Europe, or the US, where dogs are pets and not free-roaming hazards.

Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, but I also love seeing kids play in the park without fear, delivery agents ride without being chased, and pedestrians walk without dodging packs.

This decision will anger many. But it might finally make Indian cities safer for humans and for the dogs themselves,” Prabhudesai wrote.

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Another user believed that “dog lovers” are always from wealthy families, which many in the comment sections opposed. “ So-called dog lovers are almost always from the rich crowd. Their pampered kids never walk a single step on foot. It’s the poor kids who get chased, bitten, and die from rabies. Funny—never met a dog lover earning less than ₹1 lakh a month,” she wrote.

A third user, Mohit Chauhan, Cultural Envoy of Mongolia to India, voiced opposition to the order, saying, “Delhi’s stray dogs are not a menace. They are part of an ecosystem. Their brutal removal is not a solution. Empathy is. Getting civic agencies to do their job properly is a solution, and supporting caregivers so that they can provide more is a solution. Lend your voice to the voiceless now.”

A fourth user suggested that dog lovers adopt one stray dog each to mitigate the problem. “If every dog lover on social media adopts one stray dog and keeps it at home, there won’t be any stray dogs.”

Supreme Court Criticism of Authorities

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court strongly criticised authorities while hearing petitions challenging its order. Another bench of the court questioned why authorities in several areas had started capturing the animals even before the earlier order was made public. The court also criticised the authorities for failing to implement established guidelines for animal control, which it said had contributed to the current situation.