Let us begin with a classification: animals either live alongside us humans—like “my cat” or a “sheepdog”—or are wild and live in nature. The first category has largely evolved through artificial selection, adapting to coexist peacefully with humans and often providing benefits in return. The behavior and appearance of sheep, roosters, and dogs are markedly different from their wild ancestors. Consequently, we can assert that creatures like dogs, cats, chickens, cows, and camels are not found in the wild. Like domesticated wheat, they are human creations. However, this does not apply to all animals that have formed bonds with humans, such as elephants in India, tame hunting cheetahs in Iran’s past, or falcons among Arabs. These animals must be captured from the wild and tamed, whereas dogs are an exception. Thus, the relationship between domesticated and wild animals differs, and we cannot view cheetahs and dogs through the same lens. The former require protection to avoid extinction, while the latter have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, “feeding” off humanity’s table due to the services they provide.

The situation becomes complicated for dogs—human companions, allies, and partners—when their shared living conditions deviate from the norms established over millennia. In agricultural and pastoral societies, the roles of guard dogs, herding dogs, and hunting dogs (still relevant today) differ greatly from the urban companion dog of modern life. The latter eats dry food, strolls in parks, and is catered to with specialized shampoos, dietary supplements, colorful collars, and even woolen sweaters. These two contexts require distinct perspectives. Urban dogs must be controlled while outside, and their owners must collect their waste. This is an area that needs to be addressed through municipal regulations to minimize friction among citizens. Some individuals might harbor a pathological fear of dogs or have religious or personal reservations, which are valid concerns, and dogs should not be allowed to approach them. At the same time, dog owners also have the right to freely enjoy urban spaces with their companions, provided they adhere to necessary civic constraints.

Another issue arises when a population of dogs is abandoned for various reasons and becomes stray, feral, or whatever other name we assign to them. Such dogs are neither friends of humanity—since survival necessitates competition with all creatures, including humans—nor part of nature, as they were never naturally wild but rather the result of human artificial selection. Feral dogs attack humans, consume the prey of cheetahs, leopards, and other wild animals, and, living in the liminal space between human society and wildlife, act as vectors for zoonotic diseases that can transfer between the two. This liminal, quasi-wild, quasi-domesticated existence makes them both enemies of wildlife and adversaries of their domesticators. The solution is neither torture nor feeding them; this liminal spirit cannot be extricated from its in-between state except by reintegration into human habitats, sterilization, or euthanasia.

The bill proposed by the cabinet to parliament in 2021 (1400) remains in legislative limbo. It is worth noting that dogs are not among protected animals under the law. Legislators have abandoned them to their fate, while some people torture them and others, like spiritualists, offer them food in ceremonial rituals. The former is inhumane, and the latter is environmentally destructive. No laws prevent these actions, no public awareness campaigns address the issue, and no prospects for change are on the horizon. Occasionally, reports emerge of dog attacks on humans or sightings of large packs, even in protected areas.

I hold no hope in the government. Perhaps I can appeal to civil society to engage with the public in whatever ways possible. A dog is neither a demon to be tortured nor a saint to be worshipped. Until the liminal state of these creatures is resolved, perhaps it is best to leave them to their own devices.

Footnote:
1- For more information, see: Goudarzi, Alireza, “The Unsolvable Mystery of Stray Dogs,” Khabar Online, July 27, 2021 (5 Mordad 1400).