The term street dogs is widely used to describe the animals seen on the streets on many developing countries. It encompasses a variety of dogs which range from those which are owned and allowed out for some or all of the time to those whose contact with humans is occasional and often hostile. A further complexity to the term is that some dogs are permanently taken from the streets and kept inside compounds or houses.

In Nepal most of a neighbourhood’s inhabitants will recognise the individual dogs that live among them even if they choose to do no more than regard them as part of the street furniture.

Some residents will take a more active role towards the animals in their midst and will feed and play with them and even seek veterinary care if it is available.

It is these well intentioned but often under informed people that HART seeks out and encourages. Currently information on animal care is not widely available and animal sentience is not well recognised, and so even well meaning people can inadvertently cause their companion animals to suffer.

Working in different areas in Nepal, HART has found that some communities, such as in Pokhara and Kopan, welcome the opportunity to improve the lives of their street dogs. However in other areas the creatures are still widely regarded as nuisances and poisoning as the only sensible solution to keeping them manageable.

The normal life span of a street dog is estimated to be around three years and the hazards of street life ensure that most puppies do not survive.