Centre recommends ban on Pitbull Terrier, 22 other ‘ferocious’ dog breeds. List

Amid the rising cases of dog bites across the country, the Centre has imposed a ban on the import, sale, and breeding of 23 “ferocious” dog breeds which are considered to be a “threat to human life”. Joint secretary, ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Dr OP Chaudhary has sent a letter to the chief secretaries of states and Union territories to ensure the imposition of the ban.

The list of banned dog breeds includes - Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, 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’.

According to the letter, the import of such dog breeds is also recommended to be prohibited by the expert committee formed under the chairmanship of the commissioner of Animal Husbandry. The central government has also called for the enforcement of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules 2017 and the Pet Shop Rules 2018.

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The Centre's move comes after appeals from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India 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 regarding this.

In its petition, PETA wrote: “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.”

Several cases of deaths due to dog bites have surfaced across the country in the past few months. On Tuesday, 20 people were injured in Himachal's Bilaspur area after being attacked by a stray dog. Meanwhile, last month, a toddler was hospitalised for 17 days after she was bitten by a pitbull in Delhi. In another incident last week, another 10-year-old child was critically injured in Ghaziabad after a pit bull attacked her.