Goal: We demand Withdrawal or immediate revision of the AWBI’s SOP for shelter management and a transparent, accountable, and purposeful commitment to nationwide, robust implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.

The AWBI’s Betrayal of Compassion
The Supreme Court’s direction to remove stray dogs from institutional premises and shift them to shelters, while rooted in safety concerns, is an unworkable, scientifically unsound, and cruel order. We expect the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the nation’s premier institution for animal welfare, to stand as the voice of compassion and reason. Instead, the AWBI has exhibited shocking passivity and inadequacy, acquiescing to the order by formulating a deeply flawed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that will  actively promote suffering instead of alleviating it. In fact , the Board has issued an SOP that has not leveraged  public consultation,  is poorly thought through, and not only detrimental to animal welfare but specifically harmful to the country’s community dogs.

Many clauses in the SOP go over and beyond the directions of The Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement and introduce provisions that are unscientific, impractical, and impossible to implement, while aggravating the suffering of community animals.

Arbitrary Inclusion of Parks, Airports, Religious Places and Other Premises Without Judicial Basis
The SOP has expanded the scope of the order to catch dogs and impound them in shelters beyond the institutions named  in the Supreme Court judgement. (ie hospitals, educations Inst, train & bus stands, sports complexes) WHY? It is incomprehensible and unbelievable that a supposedly pro AW AWBI  is it seeking to remove MORE dogs than ordered by the Supreme Court  from their safe communities. Catching and sheltering dogs from the places that have been added in the SOP is not only operationally unviable and non-implementable but also ultra-vires of the Supreme Court order.

The crisis of stray dog overpopulation and dog-bite incidents is primarily the result of the AWBI’s historical failure to ensure proper implementation of the humane ABC and ARV (Anti-Rabies Vaccination) regime, across the country. Now, at the time when leadership is needed most, the AWBI has issued an SOP that is a complete sellout and a retrograde step in animal welfare. Withdraw this , asap,  please. 

I. The Flawed Shelter SOP: A Blueprint for Suffering
The SOP circulated by AWBI on November 27, 2025, in response to the Supreme Court’s order of November 7, 2025, sets standards for shelters that are logistically unfeasible and demonstrate a clear lack of application of mind:

Shockingly Inadequate Space: While established rules like the ABC Rules 2023, the Pet Shop Rules, and Dog Breeding Rules mandate minimum standards of space (often cited at least 10 ft2 per dog in a kennel/enclosure), the AWBI SOP suggests bulk space that guarantees overcrowding and suffering.

• For example, the SOP suggests a 70 ft×40 ft area (2,800 ft2) for 100 dogs. This approximate 28 ft2 total area per dog must cover everything—kennels, veterinary rooms, storage, and circulation space.
• This lack of minimum kennel space per dog forces group housing, which experts warn is a guarantee for fights, injuries, stress, and death in a highly dense, artificial environment. The staffing and medical care outlined are SKELETAL, and will kill more than it saves.
• The proposed facilities are so much below acceptable welfare standards that it is a dereliction of duty for the AWBI to endorse them as a national framework for municipalities, guaranteeing that shelters will become disease and cruelty centers.

Passive Acquiescence to Cruelty: The SOP directly contravenes the fundamental principle of the statutory ABC Rules, 2023, which mandate that sterilized and vaccinated dogs must be returned to their original territory. The AWBI made no public, institutional attempt to counter the permanent sheltering system in its response to the Supreme Court. The logical and scientific arguments—that relocation is unscientific, inhumane, and will cause a vacuum effect allowing new, unsterilized dogs to fill the area—were only filed by external animal welfare organizations and animal lovers. The AWBI’s silence and passive compliance are deeply disappointing and a betrayal of the animals they are sworn to protect.

II. AWBI’s Historical Failures: The Root Cause of the Crisis
The Supreme Court order itself was a result of a "systemic failure" and "suboptimal" outcomes of existing programs. This failure rests squarely on the AWBI’s inability to effectively implement and enforce the ABC/ARV regime:

Failure to Enforce ABC/ARV: Despite issuing numerous advisories and circulars regarding the implementation of the ABC Rules 2023, the AWBI has failed to hold state governments and municipal bodies accountable for execution. The efficacy of ABC measures is consistently questioned because local bodies lack the necessary funding, manpower, and political will. The recurring dog-bite crisis is a direct consequence of this sustained, decades-long administrative apathy and the AWBI’s lack of a strong institutional push.
Lack of Institutional Vigor and Transparency: The organization often appears unresponsive to animal welfare workers who raise concerns on the ground. The Board's own internal reports acknowledge the nationwide issue of dog bites and the need for "effective and creative" solutions, yet their SOP in response to the highest court is neither effective nor creative.
Failure to Establish a Robust State Framework: The AWBI’s function includes setting up and strengthening State Animal Welfare Boards (SAWBs). The absence of a robust and fully functional SAWB framework across the country is a massive gap in the governance of animal welfare, leading to the dismal performance of municipalities and the current chaotic situation.

III. Our Demands: The Way Forward for AWBI
We, the undersigned citizens and animal lovers, demand that the Government of India and the AWBI take the following immediate steps:

Immediate Revision of the SOP: The AWBI must either withdraw this SOP completely, or  issue a revised, temporary SOP that sets humane, scientifically sound minimum space standards per dog within kennels, based on established rules like the Pet Shop Rules, to mitigate suffering in the short term.

Take a Stand in Court: The AWBI must immediately file a cogent, scientific, and compassionate application before the Supreme Court, arguing for the supremacy of the ABC Rules 2023 (Capture-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release) as the only effective, long-term, and humane solution, and explaining the logistical and cruel infeasibility of mass, indefinite sheltering.
Strengthen Leadership and Accountability: The government must appoint strong, purposeful, and transparent leaders to the AWBI who are committed to animal welfare, not administrative compliance.
Enforce ABC/ARV Nationwide: Launch a time-bound, transparent, and audited action plan to ensure 70% sterilization and vaccination coverage (ARV) of stray dogs in every city, making the local bodies accountable for its failure to implement the ABC Rules 2023.
Increase Citizen and NGO Involvement: Increase the involvement of experienced citizens and recognized Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs) in policy and monitoring, especially at the local level in areas like Delhi and Haryana where the AWBI’s own backyard infrastructure checks appear to be lax.The AWBI must cease being a passive administrator and become the Strong, Purposeful, and Inspirational body that animals and citizens can depend on. The welfare of animals and the safety of human communities both depend on a strong commitment to the humane, scientific principles of the ABC Rules.

Sign this petition to demand Accountability and Compassion from the AWBI, the named custodians of animal welfare.  
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FIAPO also writes to AWBI as under  :

The Shelter Guidelines were prescribed to prevent infliction of unnecessary
pain and suffering on animals while they are housed or treated at such facilities. The  new SOP would, in effect, defeat this fundamental objective.
Unworkable, Unsustainable, and Compromises Animal Welfare
We are further concerned that the SOP does not require recognised animal welfare organisations - with established expertise - to run or manage these shelters. Instead, it allows any person or organisation to volunteer to keep dogs, weakening standards of care and opening the door to mismanagement and cruelty. The SOP also omits/undermines critical staffing and infrastructure requirements, including:
� the mandatory presence of veterinarians
� appropriate caretaker-to-dog ratios
� adequate quarantine and isolation areas
� space for clinical treatment
� proper food storage, kitchens, staff restrooms
� outdoor enclosures for exercise and enrichment
� medicine storage facilities
� bathing and grooming spaces
� And essential ambulances or catching vans.
The absence of these basic components makes the SOP operationally unworkable and severely compromises animal welfare.

Finally, the SOP places the burden of construction, staffing, maintenance, and
funding on animal welfare organisations and volunteers, an expectation that is
financially unsustainable, administratively impractical, and outside the scope of theSupreme Court’s directions.
Request: 

We therefore respectfully urge the Animal Welfare Board of India to withdraw/ rectify this SOP urgently and revaluate shelter specifications in consultation with recognised animal welfare organisations, behaviourists, veterinarians, and legal experts, and restore adherence to:
(i) Withdraw/rectify all SOP provisions not expressly anchored in the
judgment;
(ii) Restore adherence to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Animal
Birth Control Rules 2023, including release-back policy;
(iii) Revaluate shelter specifications in consultation with veterinary ethologists
and welfare specialists;
(iv) Ensure humane and science-based dog population
management consistent with global standards; and

(v) The AWBI’s own long-standing animal welfare principles and shelter
guidelines.

We remain committed to constructive cooperation and are ready to engage in policy consultation, expert review, and stakeholder sensitisation to ensure citizen safety, meaningful judicial compliance, and humane animal-welfare outcomes.