Street dogs, known in scientific literature as free-ranging urban dogs, are unconfined dogs that live in cities. They live virtually everywhere cities exist and the local human population allows, especially in the developing world. Street dogs may be stray dogs, pets which have strayed from or are abandoned by their owners, or may be feral animals that have never been owned. Street dogs may be stray purebreds, true mixed-breed dogs, or unbred landraces such as the Indian pariah dog. Street dog overpopulation can cause problems for the societies in which they live, so campaigns to spay and neuter them are sometimes implemented. They tend to differ from rural free-ranging dogs in their skill sets, socialization, and ecological effects.
Street dog at a footpath in Pune, India.
Street dogs at a crossing in Bucharest
A stray dog in Thimphu, Bhutan
Stray dogs rescued in Assam, India, by a local dog shelter
A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of which around 20% are regarded as owned pets and therefore restrained.
An Indian street dog
Two urban free-ranging dogs outside Moscow, Russia
A dog cared for by the community, in Alameda Central, CDMX.
Two stray dogs from Kozhikode in Indian state of Kerala.
