WASHINGTON―In advance of World Stray Animal Day on 4 April, Humane World for Animals (formerly called Humane Society International) selects the five best and worst countries to be a dog living on the streets.
There are an estimated almost 362 million homeless dogs and cats globally, of which there are 143 million dogs living on the street. Life can be extremely tough for these animals battling starvation, untreated disease and injuries as well as direct persecution in the form of “culls” in which they can be poisoned or shot, eradication drives in which they are removed and confined for life in often sub-standard shelters, or stolen by dog thieves in parts of Asia for the brutal dog meat trade.
Humane World for Animals is one of the leading animal protection organizations working on the ground to improve the welfare of street, community and companion dogs and cats through humane population control, supporting peaceful coexistence with people, and increasing access to veterinary care in underserved communities.Here’s our quick guide to the best and worst countries around the world to be a street dog.
Five worst countries to be a stray dog
- Türkiye: Up until recently, Türkiye was seen as a leader in humane street dog management. However, a new law introduced in 2024 now mandates removal of the country’s approximately 4 million street dogs and their mass confinement in shelters, which can often end up with them being put to sleep anyway. There have been significant protests by animal lovers in the country against the law, and the main opposition party has vowed to overturn it in the courts.
- Morocco: Morocco is currently implementing a large-scale killing program or “cull” of street dogs in advance of the 2030 World Cup. The country has often resorted to cruel, short-term killing to clear the streets ahead of sporting events, despite outreach both nationally and internationally.
- China: home to the world’s largest dog meat trade, an estimated 10 million dogs a year are stolen from the streets―both strays and free roaming pet dogs―and trafficked across the country to be bludgeoned and killed for human consumption. Although most people in China don’t eat dog, dogs across the country remain vulnerable to brutal and unscrupulous thieves and traders.
- Pakistan: Mass culling, often using poison, is used in Pakistan, particularly in cities like Karachi, where rabies is a significant public health issue. While there have been pledges to switch to vaccination, culling remains a common response to overpopulation, with reports of even vaccinated dogs being culled.
- Egypt: Traditionally stray dogs have suffered harsh treatment. Periodically, municipal authorities clear the streets, most commonly poisoning animals to death with strychnine or shooting them. Many local Egyptians feed and care for street animals, and the government recently pledged support for a 180-day campaign with more humane strategies including sterilization, to achieve rabies-free status by 2030. However, it remains to be seen whether this is a lasting approach; without commitment, more violence toward animals may return to the streets afterward.
Top five best countries to be a street dog
- India: India’s current ranking is based on a considerable improvement in recent years, with an increasing number of municipalities adopting the capture-neuter-vaccinate-return method of humane and effective dog population management. However, this could all change as the Supreme Court in Delhi is due to decide whether to overturn India’s humane approach and replace it with cruel and ineffective mass sheltering where hundreds of dogs are crammed together in substandard conditions with no hope of rehoming.
- Mexico: constitutional reform in 2024 enshrines animal protection as a fundamental value. This gives the government new authority to legislate on animal welfare issues and mandates humane education in schools across the country. Although street dogs in Mexico can face cruelty and neglect, many are looked after by community carers, and decades of vaccination drives means rabies cases are rare. Also, the government runs spay/neuter campaigns in all Federal States. While there’s room for improvement, things are definitely looking up.
- The Netherlands: the first country in the world to reach zero (or almost!) stray dogs, thanks to decades of coordinated policy including mandatory dog registration and microchipping, strong animal protection laws including high fines for pet abandonment of up to €16,000, widespread sterilization campaigns, local authority promotion of dog adoption and taxes on purchased dogs, and keeping the shelter population low.
- Bhutan: Thanks to the government’s compassionate ethos and 14-year investment in a capture-neuter-vaccinate-return program with Humane World for Animals, the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan has achieved an impressive 100% sterilization and vaccination rate for its free-roaming dogs. Since the inception of the project, more than 150,000 street dogs were successfully sterilized and vaccinated and 32,000 companion dogs micro-chipped.
- Thailand: Thailand is home to a large population of free-roaming dogs, but the country has largely rejected mass killing as a control strategy. Community feeding and care of street dogs is also culturally common due to the Buddhist principle of mette (loving kindness), meaning many free-roaming dogs are well tolerated and supported rather than eliminated. Buddhist temples offer a safe haven, shelter and food for strays. Authorities and animal welfare groups have invested heavily in vaccination and sterilization programs, helping Thailand become one of the first countries in Asia to eliminate human rabies transmitted by dogs in many regions.
Kellye Pinkleton, vice president of Companion Animals at Humane World for Animals, says: “Life for dogs and cats on the streets varies from culture to culture. Often, free roaming dogs and cats are actually owned animals or fed by community carers. Whether pets, community owned or truly stray, they can all be vulnerable to inhumane treatment. Those countries with the best or improving records are ones that have rejected killing to control numbers, instead adopting humane sterilization, vaccination and return as the only proven and compassionate way to maintain healthy, manageable numbers. Our work around the globe demonstrates that the most compassionate methods are also the most effective.”
What you can do to help
- Donate to Humane World for Animals HERE to help their work protecting dogs and cats on streets and in underserved communities, as well as their work to protect all animals.
- Write to FIFA urging them to insist Morocco stops killing dogs ahead of the World Cup.
- Support local shelters by contributing to their wish list of items, donating or even volunteering.
- Adopt your next companion animal from a local shelter or apply to be a foster family.
Download photos/videos HERE.
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