Last week's two incidents of stray dog attacks on a Russian tourist cycling on Benaulim beach and a girl from Loutolim who was bitten by 10-12 dogs while running on the beach, speaks volumes of the Goa govt's failure to control the stray dog menace in the state. Not only are our beaches unsafe but also our promenades and sidewalks, where pedestrians and morning walkers are attacked and small children mauled by ferocious strays. We have heard and read enough about Goa being a rabies-free state. The need of the hour is to make Goa stray-dog free. Instead of beating about the bush, it would be fruitful by any reckoning if a well -coordinated programme is chalked out by the Goa govt along with a few animal welfare and rescue groups to round up all the stray dogs in the state and house them away from the cities and towns, where they can be well fed and looked after with care instead of languishing by the street corners and terrorising the residents. In this way the twin objectives of animal welfare and safety of the people will be achieved.
