Stray Dogs: A 'Chronic Threat' with Solutions Missing

Faisal Matar – As stray dogs have become a worrying phenomenon and a chronic headache for residents, the threat has intensified with their large-scale presence in residential areas. However, the “greatest danger” lies in their proliferation around schools and academic institutions, amid a deafening silence from the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources and the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs. Stray dogs are no longer just a fleeting sight that catches the eye on streets, roads, and dirt lots; they have become a disturbing obsession and a source of panic accompanying citizens in several areas, raising fears for children, students, workers, and passersby. This comes amid repeated complaints about their gatherings and movements near residential neighborhoods, schools, farms, and date palm groves.

A Kuwait Times survey in several areas revealed that the problem is no longer confined to a specific location but has evolved into a spreading phenomenon requiring a fundamental solution. Citizens who find themselves facing a group of stray dogs on their way home, without any fault of their own, should not have to face an unpredictable confrontation with these animals when leaving their homes, sending their children to school, or going about their daily lives. Besides causing panic and posing threats to children, the elderly, and others, their presence in residential areas also poses health risks and can transmit serious diseases.

Where is the “Agriculture” Authority? Citizens, speaking to Kuwait Times, complained about the spread of stray dogs, stating, “We fear for our children from their danger and change our routes to avoid them.” Citizens added, “We have complained multiple times to the Agriculture Authority without any result, and they have not responded to our concerns.” They said, “It is illogical that the relevant authority has not taken action to count the number of stray dogs, map their locations, and develop a strategy to deal with them. We demand a comprehensive solution to this phenomenon and urgent measures to protect residents from stray dogs.” They emphasized that stray dogs have become prevalent in courtyards and around homes, causing panic among citizens, and gather in large numbers in residential areas, farms, and date palm groves. They also accused the Environmental Authority of being passive in addressing this dangerous phenomenon. They stressed that the recurrence of such scenes and complaints indicates that current measures have so far failed to resolve the problem at its root.

They said, “What is required is not only to catch a dog after a citizen has been hurt or frightened, but to address the problem before it escalates into an incident. The presence of dogs near schools, residential areas, or sites where workers and children gather calls for proactive action and a continuous field plan, rather than waiting for the next report.”

Growing Fear – During the survey, citizens confirmed that fear of dogs has become part of their daily lives, especially when they gather on roads or open lands. Faisal Al-Shammari, from the Al-Mutlaa area, said that seeing a group of dogs makes him change his route or wait until they move away, with concerns increasing when he is accompanied by his children.

For her part, Umm Saud, from the Aridiya area, said that what causes the most anxiety is the inability to predict the behavior of dogs, especially when they are in groups, noting that children do not know how to behave when dogs approach them. She added that what is needed is to remove the source of danger from areas where people live, before another incident occurs.

Adel Abdullah, who lives in Ahmadi, pointed out that the problem does not end with the appearance of dogs, but with their continued return to the same locations, which, in his view, confirms that dealing with them should not be limited to collecting them, but must include measures to prevent their return, reproduction, and movement between areas.

For his part, Karim Muhammad said that stray dogs are spreading terrifyingly in Jahra, noting that fears are not limited to old areas but extend to new residential zones, where the nature of open spaces and the expansion of urban areas necessitate early intervention with any dog gatherings before they become a larger problem as population density increases.