K’taka HC Revokes Centre’s Ban On 23 Breeds of ‘Dangerous’ Dogs, Says Pet Owners Should’ve Been Consulted

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday revoked the Centre’s order banning the import, breeding and sale of certain breeds of dogs deemed “dangerous” by an expert committee set up by the Animal Husbandry Ministry.

According to a Live Law report, the Karnataka HC stressed that pet owners and relevant organisations should have been consulted before a issuing circular banning “dangerous” dog breeds.

The High Court, while passing the order, stated that should be kept in mind that pet owners are responsible if their pets injure anyone, and they are the ones who have to pay for the expenses.

Last month, the Centre wrote to chief secretaries of states and Union territories to ensure prohibition on sale, breeding and keeping of pit bulls and other breeds that are intentionally bred for aggression and are frequently used for illegal fighting and attacks.

The breeds that were identified as “dangerous” in the Centre include Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Sheepdog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiff (Boerboel), Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf Dogs, Canario, Akbash, Moscow Guard Dog, Cane Corso and every type of dog commonly known as Ban Dog or Bandog.

The Centre’s directive had come in the wake of several incidents of fatal attacks by dogs.

PETA India had lauded the Center for taking action to protect children and senior citizens who are injured or killed by certain breeds of dogs that are manipulated and trained to view other living things as ‘prey’, as well as vulnerable dog breeds that are frequently used by criminal elements of society for illegal dog fighting.