Mickey, a tiny Spitz-mix dog, came to live at Raheja Exotica, a housing society in Mud Island, Mumbai, about six years ago. The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by how it treats its animals
White, hairless, calm and reserved, Mickey quickly won many hearts and settled in as a community dog ​​cared for by residents. On 27th May 2026, someone allegedly brutally murdered eight-year-old Mikey and dumped his body.
The FIR cites animal cruelty and tampering with CCTV.
The #JusticeForMikey campaign on social media is demanding justice for the alleged killing of an innocent animal, which was fed and vaccinated by the residents themselves.
The alleged murder was brutal in itself. But what happened next has left a bitter taste in the mouth. The FIR states that the management and housekeeping staff of the society had also tried to throw Mickey out of the society earlier.
That day, the CCTV cameras were reportedly disabled. After the incident, the society secretary was not even allowing the residents to talk to the staff. It appears that the incident was pre-planned.
Mickey was a dog, but he was everything to those who cared for him. This incident is just one of the many such hate crimes that happen every day in the country through no fault of the animals. This incident shows how corrupt we have become as a society.
Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by how it treats its animals.”
Morally, we have reached our lowest point.
NCRB compiled and published a national report on animal cruelty cases for the first time in 2024. The database recorded 9,039 official cases of animal cruelty nationwide, leading to the arrest of 10,312 individuals.
In 2020, FIAPO and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) published the “In Their Own Right” report. The study analysed a decade-long data window, revealing that 493,910 animals were victims of human-inflicted crimes over a ten-year period.
But the reality is that due to lack of public awareness and a nominal ₹50 fine, more than 90% of animal cruelty cases are never reported to the police. Therefore, this figure is much larger than the figure quoted above.
The most disappointing thing is that our own resident welfare associations have become battlegrounds, where animal lovers and those who oppose them come face to face over small issues all the time.
Let’s take a look at some of the ones I’ve seen in person.
Situation 1: Golden retriever Gabbar is out on an evening walk with the dog walker. A gentleman who loves people steps into the elevator as usual when Mrs B screams from the fourth floor.
Dogs should not be allowed in these elevators intended for residents. Take the dog on the stairs. 10-year-old Gabbar and the dog walker stayed away from the lift, as they did not want to cause any fuss. But can this senior dog fly up four flights?
Fact Check: It is illegal to bar pet dogs from lifts in housing societies.
The next day a notice is put up on the notice board about how dogs are not allowed in the elevator. But who will challenge the officials?
Situation 2: Champ, the Alsatian, has been advised by the veterinarian to get more exercise. This will help reduce his stress, reduce excessive barking and make him calmer.
But the management committee does not allow dogs in the society park, and the nearest public park is 15 kilometres away. Another rule made by RWA. As a result, Champ leads a sedentary life, which makes his irritability increase day by day.
Situation 3: Mr A and his wife feed some community dogs outside the apartment every night. They take out time from their busy schedules to keep water bowls and fill them regularly.
This activity causes residents to complain about the gathering of dogs near the gate. Mr A and his wife move the feeding area a little further from the gate, but the complaints remain the same.
Some residents threatened Mr. A and the next day he found broken bowls. Soon after, he sees guards driving away the community dogs who are hungry and thirsty.
Peaceful coexistence is the real need of today’s times. Humans and dogs have been living together for thousands of years, with dogs becoming companion animals to humans.
This planet is not only ours but also belongs to all animals. We share the planet with them. Each of the situations mentioned above could have benefited both parties if they had been dealt with differently.
If Mrs B is afraid of dogs, she could take the next lift or politely ask the dog walker to get out and take the next lift. There may be a designated lift for pet parents and their pets.
If residents were able to allow pets in the park for two hours a day, Champion could run around the park and feel the wind in his hair. Pet parents must clean up after their pets and those who fail to do so can be fined.
As far as Mr A is concerned, he and his wife should be allowed to eat outside, away from the gate. RWA should not have any authority over anything outside the society premises. Community dogs can become aggressive if not fed. And it is because of people like Mr A that dogs can be sterilised and vaccinated. The more friendly the dog is, the easier it will be to vaccinate and sterilise it.
Coexistence with animals is not just about being kind. It is a necessity for survival, social stability and psychological health.
Pushing them out of our urban spaces means we are breaking the systems that support our well-being. Community animals play a big role in maintaining urban cleanliness and protect us from zoonotic outbreaks.
Children who grow up with animals learn empathy, boundary recognition, and compassion early. And most importantly, there is a direct statistical relationship between animal abuse and violence against humans. It has been proven that people who practise cruelty to animals are also capable of domestic abuse, assault and other antisocial behaviour.
By protecting community dogs like Mickey and co-existing peacefully with those who share the planet with us, humans are protecting their own safety and protecting their humanity.
