India’s ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying has written to the chief secretaries of all states and Union territories to ensure that no permission is given to breed, keep or sell dog breeds considered “dangerous for human life”.
The letter, sent by Joint Secretary O.P. Chaudhary, effectively seeks to prohibit the possession, breeding and sale of these dogs. The chief secretary is the top bureaucrat in the government of a state or Union territory.
According to a report in The Indian Express newspaper, the letter was sent on the recommendation of an expert committee headed by the commissioner of animal husbandry after representations by animal welfare organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India and by citizen groups. A writ petition was also filed in the Delhi High Court.
The committee has also recommended a ban on the import of these dog breeds. Dogs that are already in the country as pets would be neutered or spayed to prevent further breeding.
The list of banned dog breeds includes the American pit bull terrier—which is not recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club—Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Russian shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa, Akita, mastiff, rottweiler, terriers, Rhodesian ridgeback, wolf-dogs, canario, Abkash dog, Moscow guard dog, and Cane Corso.
PETA India welcomed the move as a step to safeguard vulnerable breeds. Shaurya Agarwal, PETA India advocacy associate, said the order would protect humans and dogs. She said many of these dogs are bred for use “as weapons”. “Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned dogs in India, and this action can prevent a great deal of suffering,” she told the newspaper.
The ministry’s letter also calls upon all states and Union territories to strictly enforce the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017, and the Pet Shop Rules, 2018, to prevent cruelty to animals.
Other animal welfare activists, while welcoming the government’s move, objected to the reason cited for the action. Ambika Shukla, a trustee of People For Animals, said no dog breed is naturally dangerous to humans. “There is no such thing as an ‘aggressive’ breed,” she told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
She said the regulation of the sale and breeding of certain dog breeds will end the “enormous cruelty” these animals are subjected to by unscrupulous breeders. “These breeds are kept confined, not given medical attention, and sold for dogfights where they harm each other,” she said.
Bombay-based canine behaviourist Malaika Fernandes told TheSnout that a properly brought up, socialized, and trained dog is unlikely to act violently towards humans or other animals. But there are no guarantees, she added. For a wide variety of reasons, ranging from the dog’s physical and mental state to its diet, trauma, and threat perception, even a gentle animal can turn irritable and snappy. “I look at dogs as individuals,” Fernandes said. “While they were bred over the centuries for certain characteristics, most are not used for those reasons any longer. And like humans, they have also evolved.”
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Sandy Pawpaw is a fierce advocate of unleashing the animal in, and with, you.
