A government order has seen rise in abandoning of Pitbull and related dog breeds

After the letter from the Animal Husbandry Ministry to state governments recommending a ban on certain dog breeds, Pitbulls and other dog breeds are facing the likelihood of being abandoned at an alarming rate.

Also, many such dog breeds have suddenly gone up for adoption during the last week alone. The dog parents and activists are worried about a flurry of misinformation being circulated on various social media platforms leading to such chaos.

“One of the abandoned dogs couldn't be identified as a Pitbull mix by its appearance, making the government's move completely useless as the DNA of the 23 breeds likely to be banned are getting mixed with stray dogs and even other pedigree dog breeds. Only experts can identify the mix breeds, in many cases,” said Sanjay Mohapatra, founder, House of Stray Animals shelter.

As per social media trends, out of the 23 breeds that have been suggested to be banned from further breeding, pet owners are trying to get many of them adopted.

Chow Chow, Dogo Argentino, Rottweilers and many other such dog breeds and young dogs are up for adoption across Delhi-NCR.

“It is sad that the government has taken such step without consulting the experts or forming a committee including dog parents and activists. This move has created so much confusion that the dog parents are not only willing to get their dogs adopted but also abandoning them at an alarming rate. This is a really bad situation,” said Mohapatra, whose shelter is taking care of such abandoned dogs.

Similar incidents have been reported at other dog shelters across the National Capital Region, wherein dog owners have been abandoning their pet Pitbulls and related breeds.