Stray dog density and residential property prices: a ward-level hedonic analysis from urban India

Purpose This study aims to examine whether stray dog density, an urban environmental externality prevalent in developing cities, is negatively associated with residential property prices in Indian housing markets. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, zone-level hedonic analysis is conducted for 32 administrative wards and planning zones across Mumbai and Bengaluru. Residential price per square foot (Q4 2025) is regressed on stray dog density from municipal Animal Birth Control (ABC) program censuses and human population density. Linear and log–log ordinary least squares specifications are estimated, with standard error selection justified by Breusch–Pagan tests. Robustness is assessed through high-leverage observation exclusion and city fixed effects. Findings A statistically significant negative association is observed between stray dog density and residential property prices in the pooled two-city sample. In the preferred log–log specification, a 1% increase in stray dog density is associated with a 0.39% decline in price per square foot. The coefficient retains most of its magnitude and sign under city fixed effects but is not conventionally significant (p = 0.148), while within-city regressions for Mumbai and Bengaluru are directionally negative but insignificant, likely reflecting limited statistical power. Overall, the evidence is more consistent with a genuine disamenity relationship than a purely between-city artifact. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence of a negative cross-city association between stray dog density and residential property prices in India. It extends the hedonic disamenity literature in this journal to a dynamic living externality and offers a methodological template for future multi-city hedonic analyses as standardized ward-level ABC census data become available across Indian cities.