Why Centre has banned ‘dangerous’ dog breeds as pets

The Union government’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has decided to ban the import, breeding and sale of certain breeds of dogs certified as dangerous by an expert committee set up by it.

The banned breeds 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.

In a March 12 letter to all states, department joint secretary Dr O.P. Chaudhry has stated that cases of deaths of people due to bites by ferocious breeds of dogs kept as pets were reported to it. Further, a large number of citizens and citizens’ groups had petitioned the government for a ban on these ferocious breeds. Also, responding to a writ petition, the Delhi High Court had asked the Centre to decide on the issue after consulting all stakeholders.

Following the court order, the department constituted an expert committee, headed by commissioner, animal husbandry and including other stakeholders. The expert committee came up with the list of dangerous dog breeds, and their import, breeding, sale and keeping as pets was prohibited.

The department has directed the states to ask local bodies (municipal bodies) to issue guidelines to ensure enforcement of the ban. Dogs of these breeds already kept as pets would need to be sterilised. The ban pertains only to pet dogs and has not touched upon the issue of street dogs, which are increasingly becoming responsible for a much higher number of human deaths.

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