Is it free to get a street dog sterilised in India?

Under the ABC Rules 2023 the local authority is responsible for sterilising street dogs, and many corporations do it free: Shimla's says street dogs are sterilised and vaccinated free of cost at its ABC centre. Ask your own corporation, as each runs its programme differently.

Can I take a street dog to a private vet for sterilisation?

The ABC Rules 2023 govern the civic programmes, which need AWBI recognition and must release dogs at the same place they were caught. If you choose a private vet instead, talk to the vet about the anti-rabies vaccine and aftercare, and bring the dog back to its own street when it has recovered.

How do I know if a street dog is already sterilised?

Look at its right ear. Under rule 11 of the ABC Rules 2023, a V-shaped notch is cut in the right ear during sterilisation surgery so the dog can be recognised as sterilised and immunised. The Rules forbid branding.

Why did the ABC team refuse to take a puppy?

The ABC Rules 2023 say dogs under six months are not captured for sterilisation, and mothers with puppies are not captured until the litter is two months old. Note the dog's age and call the programme again later.

Can my housing society call the ABC team?

Yes, and it should. AWBI's 17 July 2025 letter asks RWAs and AOAs to keep a register of community dogs, including sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination status, and the Rules let designated feeders help with catching and release.

Petym Answers 7 min read

Who do I call to sterilise a street dog?

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

Quick answer

Call your municipal corporation, municipality or panchayat: its veterinary or Animal Birth Control (ABC) department, or the AWBI-recognised animal welfare group it works with. Under the ABC Rules 2023 the local authority is responsible for sterilising, vaccinating and deworming street dogs, then releasing them at the same place they were caught.

Give the exact location with a landmark, how many dogs, and whether any are puppies, pregnant or nursing, because those are not caught straight away. If you feed the dogs, offer to help the catching team find them; the Rules let designated feeders volunteer with catching and release.

Whose job is it to sterilise street dogs?

The local authority's. It may use its own vets or a recognised animal welfare organisation.

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023) split dogs into two classes. Rule 7 calls dogs "owned and kept indoor by individuals" pet animals, and rule 8 makes their owners responsible for deworming, immunisation and sterilisation. Street dogs, which the Rules describe as community owned Indian dogs or abandoned pedigreed dogs living on the street or within a gated campus, are the local authority's responsibility.

"Local authority" covers a municipal committee or council, a district administration, a district panchayat or a cantonment board. It runs the ABC programme itself or through an animal welfare organisation, and no programme may run without a Certificate of Project Recognition from the Animal Welfare Board of India, valid for three years. In its judgment of 19 May 2026 the Supreme Court also directed at least one fully functional ABC centre in every district.

So the right call is to the civic body for the street where the dog lives, not to the police or a private kennel. If you live in a gated society, the RWA or AOA is your first stop: AWBI's letter of 17 July 2025 asks RWAs and AOAs to keep a register of community dogs, with estimated numbers, sterilisation status, anti-rabies vaccination and the feeders' details, which is exactly what the ABC team will ask for.

How do I get a street dog sterilised, step by step?

The details differ by city; the steps below follow the Rules and two corporations that publish their process.

Find your civic body's ABC contact
Look on the corporation's official website for the veterinary department, dog control cell or ABC programme. Thiruvananthapuram, for example, runs a 24x7 help desk for stray dog issues and takes reports through its app and portal. Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation (Smart Trivandrum)
Report with the ward and a landmark
Thiruvananthapuram's process asks for the ward and a landmark, and sends the complaint to the nearest ABC catch team. Add the number of dogs, their colours, and the times they are usually around. Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation (Smart Trivandrum)
Expect a public notice
Before dogs are captured in a locality, rule 11 requires banners or notices telling residents that dogs will be taken for sterilisation and immunisation and released in the same area. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Humane capture
Net or hand catching only. The Rules strictly prohibit tongs or wires, and each squad member carries an identity card from the local authority. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Surgery and recovery
A vet operates and vaccinates, cuts a V-shaped notch in the right ear, and keeps the dog at least four days after surgery with food twice a day and water at all times. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Release where it was caught
"The dogs shall be released at the same place or locality from where they were captured", with the date, time and place recorded. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)

What should I tell the ABC team when I call?

A clear report saves the catching team a wasted trip.

The ward, street and a landmark the team can find. Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation (Smart Trivandrum)
How many dogs, and whether any already have a notch in the right ear, the sign of a dog sterilised under the programme. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Whether any dog is under six months old: those are not captured for sterilisation. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Whether a female is nursing: mothers with puppies are not captured until the litter is two months old. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Any dog that looks sick or injured, so the vet can treat it first, as the Rules require. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Your name and number, and whether you or another feeder can help find the dogs on the day. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)

What if the dog is a puppy, a cat or behaving oddly?

If The dog is a puppy under six months
It will not be caught for sterilisation yet. Keep it on the register and call again when it is older. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If She has a litter
Mothers are not captured until the puppies are two months old. Note the date and call back then. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If It is a community cat
Rule 19 allows a recognised welfare organisation trained in cat sterilisation to spay or neuter community cats, and AWBI's 2021 guidelines ask local bodies to arrange birth control and immunisation of stray cats. Ask the corporation or a local welfare group. Animal Welfare Board of India
If The dog has bitten someone or may be rabid
That is a different call. Rule 16 lets the local authority run an animal helpline that records bite complaints; a suspected rabid dog is captured and observed at the ABC centre. The person bitten should see a doctor at once. Dog Bite: Do You Need a Rabies Injection? (India) Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)

What do people get wrong about street dog sterilisation?

You may have read
The corporation will take the dogs away for good.
Myth
What the sources say
Not under the Rules. Sterilised dogs go back to the same place. The Supreme Court has made exceptions for dogs in schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, and for rabid or aggressive dogs. Supreme Court of India
You may have read
Moving the dogs elsewhere solves the problem.
Myth
What the sources say
AWBI says relocation tends to create a vacuum that new, unsterilised dogs fill. Animal Welfare Board of India
You may have read
Sterilisation costs the caller.
Myth
What the sources say
Many civic programmes are free. Shimla's corporation, for example, says street dogs are sterilised and vaccinated free of cost at its ABC centre. Check your own corporation. Municipal Corporation Shimla

How can feeders and societies help?

Rule 20 makes the RWA or AOA responsible for arranging feeding spots for community animals, away from children's play areas, entrances and staircases, and lets designated feeders volunteer to help with vaccination, catching and release. A dog that trusts its feeder is far easier to catch with a net or by hand than one chased by strangers.

Keep the society's register up to date after each round, and watch for the ear notch on returned dogs. Once most dogs on a street are notched, you know which newcomer to report next. The full feeding rules are on our community dog feeding page, and what the courts have added is on the Supreme Court orders page.

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Questions owners ask

Is it free to get a street dog sterilised in India?: Under the ABC Rules 2023 the local authority is responsible for sterilising street dogs, and many corporations do it free: Shimla's says street dogs are sterilised and vaccinated free of cost at its ABC centre. Ask your own corporation, as each runs its programme differently.
Can I take a street dog to a private vet for sterilisation?: The ABC Rules 2023 govern the civic programmes, which need AWBI recognition and must release dogs at the same place they were caught. If you choose a private vet instead, talk to the vet about the anti-rabies vaccine and aftercare, and bring the dog back to its own street when it has recovered.
How do I know if a street dog is already sterilised?: Look at its right ear. Under rule 11 of the ABC Rules 2023, a V-shaped notch is cut in the right ear during sterilisation surgery so the dog can be recognised as sterilised and immunised. The Rules forbid branding.
Why did the ABC team refuse to take a puppy?: The ABC Rules 2023 say dogs under six months are not captured for sterilisation, and mothers with puppies are not captured until the litter is two months old. Note the dog's age and call the programme again later.
Can my housing society call the ABC team?: Yes, and it should. AWBI's 17 July 2025 letter asks RWAs and AOAs to keep a register of community dogs, including sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination status, and the Rules let designated feeders help with catching and release.

Keep reading

What are the ABC Rules 2023?The rules behind every sterilisation programme.
Feeding community dogs: the rulesFeeding spots, societies and registers.
Can community dogs be relocated?Why sterilised dogs go back to their street.
What did the Supreme Court say about stray dogs?The 2025 orders and the May 2026 judgment.

Words on this page, explained

Sources

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