Amid rising instances of fatal or serious pet dog attacks, at least 23 breeds of 'ferocious' dogs, including Pitbull, Rottweiler, Terrier, Wolf Dog, and Mastiff, have been shortlisted by the Centre for a complete ban on their sale, import and breeding as pets. This means that the general public is now barred from keeping these ferocious dogs.
The list of banned dog breeds includes — Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf dogs, Canario, Akbash dog, Moscow Guard dog, Cane Corso, and every dog of the type commonly known as a 'Ban Dog'.
"...The above dog breeds, including crossbreeds, shall be prohibited for import, breedings, selling as pet dogs and other purposes," said a letter dated March 12 written by the Union Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs while directing them to sterilise these breeds of dogs, which have already been kept as pets, to prevent further breeding.
The department said it has received representations from citizens, citizen forums, and Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) to ban some of the breeds of dogs from being kept as pets and other purposes.
The move followed a report by a joint panel of experts and animal welfare bodies in response to an order of the Delhi High Court. The court had directed the Centre to decide the matter after consulting all stakeholders within three months.
The Central Government has also called for the enforcement of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules 2017 and the Pet Shop Rules 2018.
Earlier, animal rights body People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India had urged the Centre to protect vulnerable dog breeds commonly exploited by criminal elements of society for illegal dogfighting, as well as for the safety of humans. PETA also filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court.
The PETA in its petition said, "This order is key toward providing vital protection for both humans and dogs and sends a strong, clear message that pit bulls and other such breeds are bred to be used as weapons. Pit bulls and related breeds are the most commonly abandoned dogs in India, and this action can prevent a great deal of suffering."
In the recent past there has been a spate of attacks by ferocious dogs. These included a Gwalior resident being attacked by his pet Rottweiler in January 2024 when the man remembered he had forgotten to feed the dog during the day and went to provide food around midnight.
Similarly, a 7-year-old boy was attacked by a Pitbull in northwest Delhi while he was playing near his residence while a Pitbull attacked a 1.5-year-old girl in the Burari Nagar Colony in Uttarakhand who later required 18 stitches after suffering three separate leg fractures and was also hospitalised for 17 days.
Some of these canines are banned or restricted in many countries such as the UK, Colombia, Norway, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Malta, Spain, France, Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand.
