Central Government Acts to Prohibit Foreign Dog Breeds Commonly Used for Illegal Fighting and Attacks, Following PETA India Action

For Immediate Release:

13 March 2024

Contact:

Delhi – Following appeals from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to protect dogs and humans and a writ petition filed in the Delhi High Court, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Joint Secretary Dr OP Chaudhary has sent a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories urging the local departments of animal husbandry to ensure that no licences or permissions are issued for the sale, breeding, and keeping of pit bulls and other breeds deliberately bred for aggression and commonly used for illegal fighting and attacks. Prohibiting the import of such dog breeds has also been recommended by an expert committee of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying formed under the chairpersonship of the commissioner of animal husbandry.

PETA India applauds the central government for taking this step to safeguard these vulnerable dog breeds, who are commonly exploited by criminal elements of society for illegal dogfighting, as well as children and elderly citizens who are wounded and even killed by specific types of dogs who are manipulated and trained to consider other living beings as “prey”.

“This order is key to providing vital protection for humans and dogs and sends a strong, clear message that pit bulls and other such breeds are bred to be used as weapons,” says PETA India Advocacy Associate Shaurya Agarwal. “Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned dogs in India, and this action can prevent a great deal of suffering.”

The copy of the ministry’s letter and video footage of illegal dogfighting in India are available upon request.

In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Yet organised dogfights are prevalent in parts of 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. Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned dog breeds in India.

In the 15-year period from 2005 through 2019, in the US, pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of deaths from dogs. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths there. Severe and fatal attacks by pit bulls and related breeds are also increasingly common in India. Just a month ago, a toddler was hospitalised for 17 days and had her leg broken in three places after she was bitten by a pit bull in Delhi. In another incident in the capital a few weeks ago, a man provoked a pit bull to attack his neighbour. One week ago, a pit bull critically injured a 10-year-old child in Ghaziabad, and in December in Haridwar, a 70-year-old woman was severely injured by a pit bull. In a famous case in Lucknow, a gym owner’s pit bull killed his mother.

The central government has also called for enforcement of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017, and the Pet Shop Rules, 2018, as PETA India warns that most pet shops and breeders are illegal because they aren’t registered with the relevant 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 an Indian community dog, known for their loving nature, from an animal shelter or the streets.

The dogs the committee has recommended to be prohibited include the following breeds (and their mixed breeds and cross breeds): pit bull and other such terriers, Tosa inu, American Staffordshire terrier, fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, boerboel, Kangal and other various shepherd dogs, tornjak, bandogs, Šarplaninac, Japanese Tosa, Akita, mastiffs, Rottweiler, Rhodesian ridgeback, wolf dogs, Canario, Akbash, and Moscow watchdog.

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