Can an RWA legally relocate stray dogs?

Not on its own. Rule 11(19) of the ABC Rules, 2023 says dogs caught for sterilisation and vaccination are released at the same place or locality, and catching is done by a team the local authority authorises. The exceptions, such as rabid or aggressive dogs, are handled by the municipality, not by the society.

What happens to an aggressive stray dog after a complaint?

Under the Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025, dogs showing aggressive behaviour are sterilised and immunised but must not be released back onto the streets, and as far as possible are kept in a separate pound or shelter. Report bites to the municipality in writing and get medical care for anyone bitten.

Can stray dogs be removed from schools and hospitals?

Yes. The 7 November 2025 order directs municipal bodies to remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, sterilise and vaccinate them, move them to a designated shelter, and not release them back there. The Supreme Court upheld this on 19 May 2026.

Can my society stop residents feeding community dogs?

Rule 20 of the ABC Rules makes the RWA responsible for arranging feeding, at mutually agreed spots and times away from children and entrances, not for banning it. Disputes go to an Animal Welfare Committee, and an appeal lies with the State Animal Welfare Board. See Petym's page on feeding community dogs for the detail.

Is it legal to put down stray dogs in India?

Only in narrow cases. The 19 May 2026 judgment lets authorities consider euthanasia for rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous dogs, after assessment by qualified veterinary experts and strictly within the PCA Act and the ABC Rules. Residents and societies cannot do it themselves.

Petym Answers 7 min read

Can stray dogs be removed from my society?

Updated October 2026By PetymFacts checked against official sources on 21 October 2026

Quick answer

Usually not. Under rule 11(19) of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, street dogs caught for sterilisation and vaccination must be released at the same place or locality they came from, and a society cannot relocate them on its own. The exceptions are rabid or aggressive dogs, and dogs in institutions such as schools and hospitals.

What a society can do is ask the municipality to sterilise and vaccinate its dogs, agree feeding spots under rule 20, keep a register of its community dogs, and report a suspected rabid or aggressive dog to the municipal animal helpline. The Supreme Court is still hearing the matter, so check for new orders.

What do the ABC Rules, 2023 say about moving street dogs?

Catch, sterilise, vaccinate and put back: the rules are built around returning each dog to its own patch.

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 were notified as G.S.R. 193(E) on 10 March 2023, replacing the 2001 rules. Rule 7(2) treats street dogs, community dogs and abandoned pedigreed dogs that are homeless and live on the street or within a gated campus as one class. Rule 11(3) requires a public notice before dogs are caught in a locality, telling residents they will be released in the same area after sterilisation and immunisation, and rule 11(19) says the dogs shall be released at the same place or locality from where they were captured, with the date, time and place recorded.

AWBI explained the reason in its guidelines to RWAs and apartment owners' associations of 17 July 2025: indiscriminate relocation or culling has proved ineffective, often leading to a vacuum effect, territorial instability and more aggression among the dogs that remain. The Board asked local bodies to prioritise sterilising female dogs, because that is what brings numbers down over time.

How has the law changed since 2023?

The Supreme Court has been hearing a suo motu case on street dogs since 2025. These are the steps that matter to a housing society.

10 March 2023
ABC Rules, 2023 notified: dogs are released at the same place or locality after sterilisation and vaccination. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
22 August 2025
A three-judge bench puts on hold the earlier ban on releasing picked-up dogs. Dogs are to be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated and released back to the same area, except dogs that are rabid, suspected rabid or show aggressive behaviour, which are not to be released onto the streets. Wards are to get dedicated feeding spaces. Supreme Court of India
7 November 2025
Stray dogs found inside educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations are to be removed, sterilised and vaccinated, moved to a designated shelter, and not released back to the same location. Supreme Court of India
27 November 2025
AWBI issues an SOP for these institutional premises, extending it to places such as religious sites, children's parks, airports and tourist sites. Supreme Court of India
19 May 2026
Judgment upholds the November 2025 directions and the SOP, asks States to decide on extending them to other high-footfall public spaces, and hands monitoring to the High Courts. Supreme Court of India
21 July 2026
AWBI circular tells States and local bodies to comply strictly with the judgment, the SOP and the ABC Rules. Animal Welfare Board of India

What can your society do in your situation?

If The dogs are healthy, and some are not sterilised
Ask the municipal corporation's ABC programme to catch, sterilise and vaccinate them. They will be returned to your area afterwards, as rule 11(19) requires. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If A dog seems rabid
Report it to the municipal animal helpline or ABC centre. Rule 16 says a suspected rabid dog is caught, examined by a vet and a welfare representative, and isolated, not returned to the street. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If A dog is aggressive and has bitten people
Report each bite in writing to the municipality. Under the 22 August 2025 order, aggressive dogs are sterilised and immunised but not released back onto the streets, and kept in a separate pound or shelter where possible. Supreme Court of India
If Residents disagree about feeding
Rule 20 makes the RWA responsible for agreed feeding spots and times, away from play areas, entrances and staircases. An Animal Welfare Committee settles disputes, with an appeal to the State Animal Welfare Board. Feeding community dogs Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If Your campus is a school, hospital or similar institution
The November 2025 directions apply: the municipality removes the dogs to a shelter after sterilisation and vaccination, and the premises are to be fenced and given a nodal officer. Supreme Court of India
If Someone wants to give a dog a home
The 22 August 2025 order lets animal lovers apply to the municipal body to adopt street dogs, which are tagged and must not return to the streets. Supreme Court of India

Does the November 2025 order cover housing societies?

Not by name, as far as the official texts show on 21 October 2026. The 7 November 2025 directions list educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations. The 19 May 2026 judgment records that some applicants asked the court to extend them to gated housing societies, housing complexes and parks. It held that the list was illustrative, upheld AWBI's wider SOP, and held that the words gated campus in rule 7(2) cannot be read to keep stray dogs in sensitive institutional premises. But its directions leave it to States and Union Territories to decide, after assessing ground realities, whether to extend the removal directions to other public spaces with high footfall.

So for an ordinary residential society the starting point is still the ABC Rules: sterilise, vaccinate and return. Each High Court is now running a suo motu case to monitor compliance and may tailor the directions to local conditions, and the Supreme Court lists the matter again on 17 November 2026. Check your State's and municipality's decisions before acting, and do not rely on news reports alone.

What should RWAs do, and avoid?

Do

Keep a register of community dogs: estimated numbers, sterilisation status, anti-rabies vaccination records and the feeders or caregivers. Animal Welfare Board of India
Agree feeding spots and times with feeders, away from children's play areas, entry and exit points and staircases. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Let designated feeders volunteer to help with vaccination, catching and release under the ABC programme. Animal Welfare Board of India
Put complaints about a dangerous or sick dog to the municipality in writing, so there is a record. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)

Don’t

Hire private catchers to take dogs away and leave them elsewhere: the rules require release at the same place, by the authorised capturing team. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Poison, beat or starve dogs out. Killing, poisoning or maiming any animal is a BNS section 325 offence. National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs
Assume that relocating dogs will solve the problem. AWBI says it tends to create a vacuum that new, unsterilised dogs fill. Animal Welfare Board of India

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Questions owners ask

Can an RWA legally relocate stray dogs?: Not on its own. Rule 11(19) of the ABC Rules, 2023 says dogs caught for sterilisation and vaccination are released at the same place or locality, and catching is done by a team the local authority authorises. The exceptions, such as rabid or aggressive dogs, are handled by the municipality, not by the society.
What happens to an aggressive stray dog after a complaint?: Under the Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025, dogs showing aggressive behaviour are sterilised and immunised but must not be released back onto the streets, and as far as possible are kept in a separate pound or shelter. Report bites to the municipality in writing and get medical care for anyone bitten.
Can stray dogs be removed from schools and hospitals?: Yes. The 7 November 2025 order directs municipal bodies to remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, sterilise and vaccinate them, move them to a designated shelter, and not release them back there. The Supreme Court upheld this on 19 May 2026.
Can my society stop residents feeding community dogs?: Rule 20 of the ABC Rules makes the RWA responsible for arranging feeding, at mutually agreed spots and times away from children and entrances, not for banning it. Disputes go to an Animal Welfare Committee, and an appeal lies with the State Animal Welfare Board. See Petym's page on feeding community dogs for the detail.
Is it legal to put down stray dogs in India?: Only in narrow cases. The 19 May 2026 judgment lets authorities consider euthanasia for rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous dogs, after assessment by qualified veterinary experts and strictly within the PCA Act and the ABC Rules. Residents and societies cannot do it themselves.

Keep reading

Feeding community dogs: the rulesRule 20, feeding spots and the court orders in detail.
Pets in housing societies
Dog bite rules in India
Animal cruelty law in India
Dog walking rules in public

Words on this page, explained

Sources

Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources