Of late the incident of rabies disease infected dogs biting resulting in the death of not less than 18 persons and many more persons who are under treatment has been a matter of great concern not only for the state veterinary and animal husbandry but the society as a whole also. Not surprisingly, many opine to carry out mass slaughter of dogs. The most important question is: who is to be blamed? The dog or its master?

I have been reading a book called, "How to train a dog" and it tells me that a dog has been the most faithful friend of man for centuries. For instance, when John F. Kennedy, former president of USA was assassinated, his dog's longing for him was unexplainable.

The dog used to loiter days and nights near the graveyard of Kennedy without taking any food. Ultimately the dog also died soon near the graveyard of John F. Kennedy. Again many of us may still remember the death episode of Sita Ram Keshri, who was one time president of Indian National Congress.

His faithful dog never left even an inch from where Keshriji was cremated. So, longing for his master Sita Ram Keshri his dog could not eat any food and died of starvation. Thus, from these incidents, we learn how loyal a dog is to his master!

It is undeniable facts that a well trained dog saves many a time his master from dangerous and vulnerable situations like an unprecedented fire and also from enemies. Why dogs are such a special and unique animals than other?

Perhaps, dog's sense of smell is far better than any other animals! Mention maybe made here that when BJP was in power, the ministry of human resources development suggested that astrologers should be inducted to academic line especially in the department of science and environment as professors. We are told that astrologers can predict and also forecast future like possible occurrence of earthquake and any other natural calamities.

However, Khushwant Singh mockingly suggested that dogs and donkeys are more qualified than the so-called astrologers or any other fortune –tellers to be inducted as professors in the department of science and environmental concern! Dogs or donkeys can make us alert by barking about the coming earth quake better and so they are better than the so-called astrologers.

Moreover, the dog has some more uniqueness than other animals. A dog seldom does any specific works for the master but surprisingly earns daily bread. The dog knows how to please his master. Whenever his master comes back from office or any works, he runs out to greet his master by gesticulating of its tails and embraces him by licking the master foots.

On top of that the gesticulation of dog's tail is a symbol of freedom of _expression in a modern term. If you grasp any dog's tail and cannot wave anymore its tail, then the dog will bark like anything to be freed since his freedom of _expression is being frozen. Thus, the motion of his tail is an _expression of his freedom and one shouldn't unnecessarily grasp his tail.

A dog's sense of smell and sensation is thousand times better than that of human being, including the so-called astrologers and fortune-tellers. The art of fortune-telling through reading one's palm began some 2,500 years ago in India and gradually spread to other parts of the world.

However, these people have tried to provide a scientific explanation by showing a correlation between the lines on the hand and the astronomical influence on human body at the time of birth. Yet it has not been accepted scientifically.

Now the most burning issue is the disease of rabies, not the dogs itself. A dog goes mad when it suffers from a disease called "rabies". The virus is bullet shaped having a diameter of about 70 millimicrons and a length of about 210 millimicrons.

It moves from the saliva to the infected wounds and through sensory nervous to the central nervous brain cells. The dog becomes lazy when it suffers from fever and loses all interest in food. In about 4-6 weeks, when these viruses affect the dog's brain, the dog gets excited. During this period, the dog can bite anybody. After these symptoms appear, it is like to die within 3 to 5 days.

When a mad dog bites a man, the virus present in its saliva enters man's body through the wound. And then he suffers from lack of sleep and feels frightened. The muscles in his throat gets loosen and he faces difficulties in swallowing food or liquid. He is afraid of water. In medical term it is called, "HYDROPHOBIA" which means 'fear of water'.

These signs appear in the victim within one to three months after dog's bite. Thus, incase of dog-bites, the affected portions should immediately cleaned and anti-rabies injections should be given to the victim within three days of the dog bite, the number of injections varying from 3 to 14 depending on the location and number of bites.

To check the spread of several diseases caused by dogs, it is essential to give them anti-rabies injection and oral anti-microbial therapy. Peg dogs should be kept away from patients afflicted with tuberculosis, scarlet fever, measles or mumps. Dogs may catch infection even from their rooms and spread them to other men.

Not only the dog, the virus of rabies also attacks foxes, jackals, monkeys, cats and rats. Louis Pasteur was the first scientist to produce an effective vaccine, and the Pasteur Institute was founded to treat this disease.

Thus mass slaughter of dogs is not advisable to fight over the rabies disease. A well trained dog is used in the modern security system. They can sniff out illegal drugs and the culprits. Customs officers use specially trained dogs for sniffing out illicit drug.

It is not necessary to open cases or crates-one sniff is enough for a dog, even if drugs are packed in tins. Dogs make use of the strong sense of smell in feeding, hunting and identifying enemies.

There is a saying, "If you have one well trained dogs as a friend, you have more than your share".