Mumbai: Mahim-based social worker Irfan Machiwala has proposed an innovative solution to address the growing stray dog population while enhancing government resources. He has urged both the Indian and Maharashtra governments to consider rehabilitating stray dogs through proper training and vaccination, enabling them to serve in official roles.
Machiwala suggested that healthy, trainable strays could be integrated into government services, including as sniffer dogs for police departments, search-and-rescue teams during disasters, and for guard duties at public facilities.
He believes this approach would not only help reduce the number of stray dogs on the streets but also provide a cost-effective and humane alternative, turning a perceived problem into an asset for society.
In rural areas, he noted, stray dogs already serve as natural pest controllers, crop guards, waste reducers, and security alarms — functions that indirectly save government resources
