Animal rights groups, experts rally behind breed-specic ban on dogs

After six di˜erent High Courts across India decided to either nullify or suspend the Centre’s circular last month banning 23 breeds of “ferocious” dog in India, animal rights group and experts have come out in support of the government’s breed-specific ban initiative.

On March 12 this year, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying issued a circular prohibiting import, breeding, and selling of breeds including the Pit Bull Terrier, American Sta˜ordshire Terrier, Dogo Argentine, and American Bulldog.

While the High Courts of Kerala, Madras, Rajasthan, and Calcutta stayed the circular, two High Courts of Delhi and Karnataka have quashed the circular with a direction to the Ministry to give an opportunity to all the stakeholders to raise

Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned in India, PETA says.

their objections before it come out with a fresh circular.

Rights and rules

However, the India o—ce of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an international nonpro„t „ghting for animal rights, has stood behind the Ministry’s initiative. “The circular issued by the central government responsibly aimed to stop pit bull–type breeds from being torn apart in illegal dog„ghts, and to protect citizens from being attacked by dogs bred to be unstoppable weapons,” PETA said, in a statement. It added that 80 million dogs and cats su˜er on India’s streets. Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned in India, in a country where animal shelters are already overcrowded. “Pit bulls and related breeds are also otherwise typically kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in aggressive, defensive behaviour and a lifetime of su˜ering.”

Gauri Maulekhi, a prominent animal welfare activist and trustee of People for Animals, an Indiabased non-pro„t with a network of 26 animal hospitals across the country, told The Hindu that, “India has 4 crore street dogs, which are homeless, and the activity of proliferating or breeding more dogs of any variety — let alone the foreign variety — is basically not in the interest of the country.”

Varda Mehrotra, animal rights activist and founder of Samayu, agrees that banning certain dog breeds is a commendable step. However, she felt the ban needs to be practical in terms of its implementation, so it doesn’t lead to increased abandonment or harassment of pet owners.

Opposing arguments

People who had challenged the circular before the High Courts had argued that it lacked scientific basis, and was devoid of research or reports. They had said that the circular lacked a comprehensive framework or researchbacked methodology to de„ne what constituted a “ferocious breed” and how the selected breeds „t into this classi„cation.

They further stated that enforcing breed-speci„c legislation can be challenging, especially when determining a dog’s breed is not straightforward or when dealing with mixed-breed dogs.