Mumbai: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has urged the Maharashtra government to impose a blanket ban on various foreign dog breeds, in wake of the recent incident where a Pit Bull was encouraged to attack a minor boy. It has requested the state to ban nine foreign dog breeds alleging that they are deliberately bred for illegal fighting and aggression.
On July 17, a man unleashed his pet pit bull dog on an 11-year-old boy, leaving him severely injured. An offence was registered against the dog’s owner Mohammed Sohail Khan at Mankhurd police station. A video of this incident went viral on social media and drew widespread criticism against Khan.
Following the incident, PETA India has urged the state government to implement a policy prohibiting the breeding, sale and keeping of nine foreign dog breeds. These include Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Pakistani Bully Kuttas, Dogo Argentinos, Presa Canarios, Fila Brasileiros, Bull Terriers, Cane Corsos, and XL Bullies. It highlighted that this was at least the fourth incident of attacks by pit bull dogs that have been reported from Maharashtra this year.
In a letter written to the urban development department’s principal secretary Dr K. H. Govindraj, PETA India alleged that these dog breeds are deliberately bred for illegal fighting and aggression. It claimed that such dogs are often sold to unsuspecting buyers who are themselves attacked or otherwise cannot control the animals.
It said that pit bulls, rottweilers and similar foreign dog breeds are primarily used for dogfighting in India, even though inciting dogs to fight is illegal under the prevention of cruelty to animals act.
It added that these breeds are typically kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in aggressive defensive behaviour and a lifetime of suffering. These dogs are encouraged to continue fighting until they become exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dies.
Shaurya Agrawal, PETA India’s advocacy associate, said, “Pit bull and other such foreign dog breeds are bred to be unstoppable weapons and to be abused in dogfights. We urge Maharashtra to immediately pass a statewide policy that prohibits the keeping, breeding and sale of these dogs to protect humans from attacks and dogs from abuse.”
Notably, the union government had issued a circular in March 2024 directing all states to prohibit importing, breeding and selling of 23 dog breeds, including pit bull, deemed as dangerous and ferocious.
However, the union government had told the Bombay High Court that it is not acting on its notification, replying to a public interest litigation filed by a Pune-based NGO Animal Rescue Trust seeking quashing of the circular.
However, as a result of rising incidents of dog attacks, Chandigarh and Goa are finalising prohibitions on the breeding, selling, and keeping of pit bull-like dogs bred for aggression and attack.
The Jharkhand government recently banned the keeping, selling and breeding of pit bulls, Rottweilers and certain other foreign breeds. PETA India advised that a prohibition could be achieved in the state by requiring such dogs to be mandatorily sterilised and registered while prohibiting the breeding, keeping, or selling of these dogs after a stipulated date. It also called for a closure of illegal pet shops and breeders, as well as a crackdown on illegal dogfights.
