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Source-This post on Dogs and their place in society has been created based on the article “Ferocious friends: On certain breeds of dogs and public safety” published in “The Hindu” on 21 March 2024.
UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-2- Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context– Some citizen groups had asked the Department of Animal Welfare and Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture to constitute an expert committee to ban certain breeds of ferocious dogs from being kept as pet dogs.
What are the issues with the rising number of dogs attack in India?
1) Citizens complain about their residential colonies being attacked by roving canines and threatening the safety of children and elderly population.
2) There is a lack of political response to enforce existing municipal laws to contain their numbers. There are many advanced countries that do not permit street dogs.
3) In the case of pet dogs, some breeds have shown very aggressive behavior towards human beings and attacked them leading to fatality in some cases.
Read more- The Issue of Stray dogs in India
Which are certain dog breeds that are banned?
These include mixed and crossbreeds such as Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog etc.
There are several countries that have imposed stringent conditions to own or maintain certain dog breeds.
What are the reasons behind ferocity and aggressiveness of some dog breeds?
1) Ferocity and aggressiveness are a result of both environmental and behavioral factors.
2) It also depends on the age, sex, size, familiarity with other dogs, the way it is trained, and the circumstances that provoke aggression.
Citizens do have a right to choose and raise breeds of pets that they like. However, it is not an absolute right and subject to public safety.
Question for practice
Highlight the issue associated with rising number of dogs attack in India?
