PETA India Urges Uttar Pradesh to Ban Foreign Dog Breeds Used for Fighting, Shut Down Illegal Pet Shops and Breeders, and Crack Down on Dogfights After Pit Bull Attacks

For Immediate Release:

16 August 2022

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Lucknow – In response to news that a teenager was critically injured by a pit bull in Meerut, that an elderly woman in Lucknow was mauled to death by a pit bull, and that a woman in Gurugram sustained serious injuries in a pit bull attack – all within only weeks – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India sent letters to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath and Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Shri Arvind Kumar Sharma. The group requested that the state prohibit the keeping, breeding, and sale of dogs bred for illegal fighting; shut down illegal pet shops and breeders; and crack down on illegal dogfights. PETA India recommends that the ban be achieved by requiring owners to declare breeds placed on the prohibited list for mandatory sterilisation and government registration within a month of the issuance of the directive as well as by prohibiting any new such dogs from being bred, kept, or sold after a stipulated date immediately following the completion of that month. The state has already reportedly shown an interest in prohibiting pit bull, Rottweiler, and mastiff breeds.

PETA India Veterinary Policy Advisor Dr Nithin Krishnegowda says, “These attacks are a wake-up call that if India continues to allow dogs typically used for cruel human exploits such as criminal dogfighting to be bred, more people will get hurt. A prohibition on all breeds used for unlawful fighting would protect these dogs from being born only to face cruelty and suffering and protect many humans, too.”

In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. Yet organised dogfights are prevalent in parts of North India, making pit bull–type dogs and others used in these fights the most abused dog breeds. Pit bulls are commonly bred to be used in illegal fighting or kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in a lifetime of suffering. Many endure painful physical mutilations such as ear-cropping – an illegal process that involves removing part of a dog’s ears to prevent another dog from grabbing them during a fight. These dogs are encouraged to continue fighting until they become exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dies.

In the UK, it’s against the law to keep pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogos Argentinos, and Fila Brasileiros – breeds banned because they are traditionally used for illegal dogfighting, bred and trained for aggression, and commonly abused. Similarly, in Australia, breeds prohibited in the UK as well as Perro de Presa Canarios are restricted , and in Germany, pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers cannot be imported.

PETA India warns that most pet shops and breeders are illegal, as they aren’t registered with their state animal welfare boards. They also typically deprive dogs of proper veterinary care and adequate food, exercise, affection, and opportunities for socialisation. PETA India encourages those with the time, patience, love, and resources to welcome a dog into their home to adopt a Indian community dog, known for their loving nature, from an animal shelter or the streets.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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