Mutt Menace: Do we need stricter norms to deal with the rise in attacks by pet dogs?

Delhi has a pooch problem. The rising incidents of dog attacks in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) region have now caught the attention of the civic authorities. They have asked residents to get their pets registered and warned of action against those who do not comply with the norm.

What are the new rules for pets in Delhi-NCR?

Senior officials of the veterinary department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said that Delhi Municipal Corporation Act mandates the registration of pet dogs with the civic body, but “residents have remained reluctant to come forward to get their pets registered”, reports news agency PTI.

“In view of the increasing number of dog-bite incidents, the MCD urges citizens to get their pet dogs registered. Under Section 399 of the Delhi Municipal Act 1957, it is mandatory to register all pet dogs with the municipal corporation. The section also gives power to the MCD to detain a dog found in a public place, if a pet dog is not registered with the civic body,” the civic body said in a statement.

There is also a provision for fining pet owners and carrying out prosecution, it said.

The MCD has appealed to citizens to get their pet dogs registered or face action. It said that the rules apply even to those who have adopted strays.

What has prompted MCD to step in?

The last few months have seen dogs in the region going feral. On 3 September, a pit bull attacked a 10-year-old boy in a park in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. The child was seriously injured with 150 stitches and had to be hospitalised.

The owner had taken the dog out for a stroll, when it escaped, and attacked the kid, who was rescued by bystanders. Ghaziabad Police said that the incident took place due to the owner’s negligence and fined him Rs 5,000.

Pit bull attacks have been reported on a couple of occasions. Last month, a 30-year-old was hospitalised and battling for life after a pet pit bull charged at her in Gurugram. Though not part of NCR, a pitbull mauled its owner to death in Lucknow in July.

On 5 September, a pet dog bit a kid inside the elevator of Charms County Society in Ghaziabad, as the owner looked on. The boy was standing in the lift when a woman walked in with her dog on a leash. As the child moved to the front of the elevator, the dog jumped and bit it on the leg.

Two days later, another emerged video, this time from Noida, where a pet attacked a man in a lift. In the video clip, a boy can be seen holding the dog by the leash while another man stands at a distance near the elevator’s door. As the lift stops and the boy moves to get out, the dog lunges towards the man, who falls to the floor while trying to save himself, reports NDTV.

Days after a shocking video showing a pet #dog biting a boy inside a lift in #Ghaziabad triggered outrage over the owner’s insensitivity, another video of a dog attack in #Noida has surfaced. The fresh incident, is from the Apex Athena society in Sector 75 of Noida. pic.twitter.com/sxaTugi6NB

— Jitender Bhardwaj (@journo_jitendra) September 8, 2022

There a 20,000 registered pets and stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. According to the civic body, government doctors receive 100-150 cases of dog bites every day.

How will registering dogs help?

According to a senior MCD official, the registration process helps in maintaining the exact count of pet dogs that are vaccinated against the rabies virus in different zones. It will help trace a missing pet with the help of a registration number that the dog will sport.

The purpose of the exercise is to prepare a database of pet dog owners, control illegal practices like unregistered dog breeding, and monitor pets’ vaccination schedules, reports PTI.

“In order to facilitate pet owners, MCD is providing a convenient and hassle-free online facility for dog registration. Documents that are needed to be submitted include an anti-rabies vaccination certificate, a photograph of the animal, residence proof and identity proof of the owner,” the MCD said in a statement.

What are RWAs doing?

Even Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) are stepping in and taking measures to prevent dog attacks.

Residential societies like Orange County in Ghaziabad, Prateek Wisteria in Noida and ATS Paradiso in Greater Noida have issued strict guidelines.

In Charms County Society, where a dog bit a child in the elevator last week, the association has banned pet parents from using elevators when they are with their pooches and asked them to put a muzzle on dogs while walking them.

In ATS Paradiso, Greater Noida a Rs 500 fine including GST was slapped on two dog owners. One was penalised for her dog’s peeing and another for taking her dog in the lift, India Today reports.

According to 2015 guidelines by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), pet owners cannot be debarred by RWAs or apartment owners’ associations from the use of elevators for dogs. They also say that pet owners are required to leash their pets in all common areas.

What are pet owners saying?

With dog attacks hitting headlines, there has been an increase in the harassment of pet owners. Kaveri Rana Bhardwaj, a renowned animal rights activist, told India Today, “Dog owners are being harassed for no reason. Many residents are looking for a chance to engage with dog owners and harass them through the RWAs. No dog shall be muzzled if he/she is not aggressive. In such humid weather, dogs need to breathe properly with an open mouth,” Bharadwaj said.

Why are attacks by pets on the rise?

Breeds like pit pull, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Rottweiler, and Golden Retriever become aggressive because of the lack of proper training and environment. Illegal breeding and confining these dogs to the house only makes the matter worse.

Dev Rawat, who has been training dogs since 1995, told IANS, “The biggest problem is that the dogs are not fed properly and they get less travel. Often people rear a dog because of a hobby, but because of their jobs, they keep the dogs locked in the house throughout the day. Because of this, the dog starts becoming irritable.”

He added that no breed of dog is dangerous and raising them properly is important. “Being tied up in the house all the time is one reason dogs bite.”

Gauri Maulekhi, the trustee of People for Animals, spoke about Indians keeping “exotic” dogs which cannot adapt to the weather here. “Recent incidents of dog bites show that such dogs should not be sold. Many species of exotic dogs are not adapted to live in the Indian environment. The government of India had made dog breeding rules in 2017, but the rules are not being followed properly,” Maulekhi told IANS.

With inputs from agencies

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