Managing stray dog populations humanely is a global challenge, with methods ranging from culling to TNR programs with varying effectiveness and welfare outcomes.
Stray dog welfare represents both individual and population-level challenges. Individual stray dogs experience chronic stressors including food insecurity, disease, injury, extreme weather, and human persecution. Population management approaches that kill dogs have consistently failed to provide lasting reductions because removal creates a vacuum filled by immigration and increased reproduction. The most effective and welfare-conscious approaches combine TNR with vaccination campaigns to prevent rabies and distemper, combined with education programs that promote responsible ownership and prevent abandonment.