Ghaziabad: Under the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, a stray dog that bites twice should be termed ‘aggressive’ and sent to ‘lifelong confinement’ at a shelter or a dedicated pound. The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) board adopted the dog policy, yet the municipality has still not created the facilities required under the rules.
State Government Order in December 2025
In December 2025, the state government issued an order stating that if a stray dog bites someone and the victim receives an anti-rabies injection at a government hospital, the dog must be kept at an animal birth control (ABC) centre for 10 days for behavioural monitoring. It is then to be released with a microchip so it can be traced if it bites again. If the same dog is involved in a second bite case, a three-member committee must determine whether the attack was unprovoked. Only after that can the dog be kept at the ABC for life.
No Dogs Labelled Aggressive Despite Frequent Bites
But even after instances of dog bite cases being reported on a daily basis, there have been no cases where any dog has been labelled as ‘aggressive’. A resident, Meenu Tyagi from Karhera, shared her experience: “In a span of 15 days, a stray bit two members of my family, my daughter and her mother-in-law, on different days. We got them vaccinated, but no one even bothered to pick the dog up.” She added, “The rules are just on paper. With dog bite cases happening almost every other day, if they start marking ‘aggressive’ dogs, there will be no space left in those shelters.”
Tyagi did not want to complain to the authorities, fearing it would ruffle the pet-loving lobby.
GMC Official Comments on Facility Shortage
A GMC official explained the situation: “We have two operational ABCs, and one at Sidharth Vihar will become operational by the end of this month. Together, over 100 dogs can be sterilised per day, but the space is definitely not enough to keep ‘aggressive’ dogs for life in these ABCs. The dogs could also be kept in shelter homes, but we still need to build such shelter homes to keep those dogs.”
Stray Dog Population on the Rise
According to the 2021 stray census conducted by GMC, there were about 48,000 strays, which has increased to about 65,000 as per rough estimates. From April 1, 2025, till March 31, 2026, officials said that GMC has sterilised 10,137 strays, and 47,099 strays have been sterilised in the city so far.
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About the Author
Abhijay Jha is an Assistant Editor at The Times of India, covering civic and infrastructure beats for Ghaziabad city. His career spans over two decades, starting with television in various capacities such as reporting and as a researcher. In the last 11 years at TOI, he extensively covered politics, environment, crime, and court beats, with a keen interest in stories of human interest.
