Several years ago, scientists studied six dogs and two wolves. The dogs had something wolves didn’t—one certain eye muscle. Unlike wolves, dogs use this eye muscle to lift their eyebrows. The result? “Puppy dog eyes”—that cute, irresistible face a dog makes. Something as small as an eye muscle has bonded humans and pups for centuries.

But the puppy dog eyes don’t always work in Ethiopia. There, not everyone has a soft spot for street dogs. Some residents in Addis Ababa feel downright worried when they see a stray. 

Yonas Bezabih says the dogs “do not allow people to pass on the road and can be aggressive, even biting.”

That’s a reasonable fear. After all, an untrained dog can have a lot in common with a wolf—the sharp-toothed creature who eats up Grandma in “Little Red Riding Hood.” And the problems dogs create are far from a fairy tale. If a street dog bites, it might spread rabies. Few rabies vaccines are available in the city. 

So how can Addis Ababa keep the animals under control?

Your city or county might have an Animal Control department. These workers have a two-sided job. They protect animals from people. At the same time, they protect people from animals. If you have a dog, your dog likely has a registration—a record identifying its owner and address.

Melese Anshebo is an official in Addis Ababa. He says the government plans to make dog owners register their animals. “To those who seem to have no owners, we will aim to find them shelters,” he says.

What would help? More vaccines, trained veterinarians, and shelters would be a good start. Education would help too. People need to understand the dangers dogs face—and the dangers they pose for humans.