Dholu, an energetic young male with a noticeable limp; Oldie, the greying elder who loves a belly rub; and Snoopy, a golden-eyed boy who patiently waits his turn.

Street dogs are a fixture of nearly every neighbourhood in Delhi, in most cases being fed and cared for by residents. So when the death of a child, apparently from rabies, sparked a court order that all dogs must be rounded up and confined to non-existent ‘shelters’,