STC EXCLUSIVE: Fear on Every Street: Kashmir’s Growing Stray Dog Crisis
When a walk to school, a morning stroll, or even a trip to the market becomes an act of caution
Gowher Bhat
A child walking to school looks behind before entering a narrow lane. A mother holds her child’s hand tightly when she sees a group of stray dogs on the roadside. An elderly man carries a stick during his morning walk, not because he needs it for support, but because it gives him a sense of security. A woman returning from the market changes her route after noticing a group of dogs near the road. A delivery worker slows down when several dogs begin following his motorcycle.
These may seem like small moments, but they reflect a growing concern that many people across Kashmir experience in their daily lives.
For some residents, going outside now means thinking about which road to take, what time to leave home, and whether stray dogs are present in the area. Parents worry when their children walk to school. Elderly people may avoid quiet lanes. Workers leaving home early in the morning may choose longer routes to avoid places where dogs gather. Even people taking out household waste may look around before approaching a garbage bin.
A simple walk, a trip to the market, a visit to a neighbour, or a child’s journey to school should not feel like a risky activity. Yet for many Kashmiris, concern about stray dog attacks has become part of everyday life.
The growing stray dog problem in Kashmir is no longer simply a municipal concern. It has become an important public health and public safety issue affecting children, women, workers, elderly citizens, and families across the Valley.
There was a time when the main concerns of Kashmiri families were education, employment, and the ordinary challenges of daily life. Today, another concern has quietly entered public life—the fear that a routine journey outside the home could end in a frightening encounter with stray dogs.
The scale of the problem is difficult to ignore.
According to data presented by the Jammu and Kashmir government in the Legislative Assembly, 206,460 dog-bite cases were reported across the Union Territory during 2024 and 2025. Of these, 93,765 cases were reported in 2024 and 112,695 in 2025.
The Jammu division recorded 126,844 cases, while the Kashmir division recorded 79,616 during the same two-year period.
Within Kashmir, Srinagar recorded 35,174 cases, followed by Baramulla with 12,882 and Anantnag with 10,818. These figures were part of the district-wise data presented to the Assembly.
These are not simply numbers in a government report. Behind every case is a person who experienced pain, fear, medical treatment, and, in some cases, lasting emotional trauma.
The seriousness of the issue was highlighted in April 2026 when eight-year-old Aiman Adnan Sheikh died after a stray-dog attack in the Sopore area. Reports identified her as a resident of Seloo, Sopore, and said she sustained critical injuries before she died.
Her death deeply affected the local community and once again brought attention to concerns surrounding stray dogs in Kashmir.
But the impact of the problem goes beyond those who are directly attacked.
Across Kashmir, ordinary situations increasingly involve extra caution. A person carrying household waste may look around before approaching a community garbage bin. A woman returning from the market may cross the road to avoid a group of dogs. A worker leaving home before sunrise may take a longer route because dogs are frequently present in certain areas. A schoolchild may wait for other children before entering a lane. A cyclist may slow down when dogs begin following or chasing vehicles.
For elderly people, the concern can be even greater. Someone who once enjoyed a peaceful morning walk may now avoid going outside alone. A person visiting a nearby shop, neighbour, or place of worship may think twice before taking a particular route.
These may appear to be small changes. But when people begin changing their daily routines because of fear, the problem becomes much larger than individual incidents.
Perhaps the greatest concern is the gradual normalization of this fear.
Children should remember their neighbourhoods as places where they can play, meet friends, and walk freely. Streets should connect communities, not make people anxious. Elderly citizens should be able to enjoy their morning walks without feeling that they need to carry something for protection.
People should not have to plan their daily movements around stray dogs.
At the same time, it is important to recognize that animals also deserve humane treatment. Stray dogs are not responsible for the wider circumstances that have contributed to their growing presence in populated areas.
Poor waste management, easy access to food, abandoned animals, and gaps in the implementation of population-control measures can all contribute to the challenge. Addressing these issues requires sustained and coordinated action rather than short-term measures.
According to figures shared by the Jammu and Kashmir government in March 2026, a 2023 survey estimated 64,416 stray dogs in Srinagar city. The same survey estimated 1,52,775 stray dogs across major urban centres of Jammu and Kashmir. These are survey estimates and should not be treated as a current 2026 headcount.
Such figures underline the scale of the challenge and the need for a serious, scientific, and long-term approach.
Sterilization programmes need to be implemented effectively and monitored. Garbage collection and waste disposal need continued attention so that animals do not have easy access to food. Areas reporting frequent attacks should receive greater attention. Residents should also have accessible ways to report aggressive dogs and locations where repeated incidents occur.
Most importantly, there needs to be better coordination between municipal authorities, health departments, animal-welfare organizations, and local communities.
A humane society must protect animals from cruelty. But it must also protect people from preventable harm.
These responsibilities do not have to conflict.
Compassion for animals should not mean ignoring the concerns of parents. Concern for animal welfare should not mean dismissing the experiences of elderly citizens. At the same time, protecting people should not mean treating animals cruelly.
What Kashmir needs is balance, responsibility, and effective action.
No parent should have to watch a child leave for school with fear in their heart. No elderly person should feel forced to give up a morning walk. No worker should have to take a longer route simply because dogs are frequently present in a particular area. And no family should have to experience the loss of a loved one in circumstances that might have been prevented through stronger public-safety measures.
The stray dog crisis in Kashmir is therefore not merely a question of animal management. It is a matter of public health, public safety, civic responsibility, and human dignity.
The streets of Kashmir belong to everyone—to children going to school, workers going to their jobs, women carrying out their daily responsibilities, shopkeepers opening their businesses, cyclists and pedestrians, and elderly citizens enjoying their morning walks.
Everyone deserves to use those streets without fear.
Kashmir needs a solution that is both humane and effective—one that protects animals while ensuring that human safety is never treated as a secondary concern.
Until that balance is achieved, many Kashmiris may continue to walk with an unwanted companion.
Its name is fear.
(STRAIGHT TALK COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVE)
