Stray Dogs
A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 700–900 million, of which approximately 75% are classified as free-ranging.
Free-ranging dogs are common in developing countries. It is estimated that there are about 62 million free-ranging dogs in India. In Western countries free-ranging dogs are rare; in Europe they are primarily found in parts of Eastern Europe, and, to a lesser extent, in parts of Southern Europe.
Free-ranging dogs survive by adapting to their environment, including scavenging through uncollected food waste, hunting small animals, consuming carrion and road kill, or being fed by people.
The free-ranging dogs from South Asia, where these animals are very common, are often referred to as pye-dogs. The Indian pariah dog is a landrace of the Indian subcontinent and is often found in the form of street dogs, although some Indian pariah dogs are owned, including by the police.
Various human organizations work to manage free-ranging dogs, citing concerns about the spread of rabies, the animals' welfare, and other areas. These include governments, animal rights organizations and other non-governmental organizations, and veterinarians. Some governments have dog-management policies, including trap–neuter–return, the permanent removal of dogs from the streets and their indefinite housing in animal shelters, their (national or international) adoption, or their euthanasia.
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