The keeping, training and breeding of ferocious dog breeds like Rottweilers would be regulated in the State shortly.
A legal framework, Dangerous Dog Rules, 2018, has been proposed by the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) for the purpose.
The legal intervention has been proposed in the wake of the shocking incident of two Rottweilers mauling a woman to death at Wayanad recently.
The 65-year-old estate worker was attacked by pet dogs owned by her neighbour. The dogs pounced on her as she was on her way to work along with two other women. The Vythiri police had registered a case against the owner of the dogs for culpable homicide and for keeping domestic animals that could cause danger to others.
A preliminary population estimation of the breed has put the number of animals in the State at around 10,000 individuals. All these animals will have to be registered with a government authority identified for the purpose and the owners will have to take licence for keeping them.
Dog Rules
The Dog Rules can be included in the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Licensing of Pigs and Dogs) Rules, 1998, said N.N. Sasi, the director, AHD.
Canine breeds like Rottweilers and Pit Bulls should be kept in kennels and the houses where they are grown should have compound walls. Caution boards with the inscription, Beware of Dog, should also be displayed, according to a memorandum prepared by the AHD.
Annually, the animals will have to be vaccinated. They should be made to wear basket muzzle, while being walked around or taken for medical treatment. The dogs shall be registered with the local body concerned or the AHD. The government shall take a call on the agency for the registration of dogs, Dr. Sasi said.
The memorandum said that dogs shall never be trained in ‘attacking training’, which would increase their aggression. Instead, the canines shall be given lessons in puppy socialisation and house obedience, it said.
Since most of the guard dogs like the Rottweilers are considered ‘one master dog’, the owner of the animal or its caretaker shall be available at the homes where they are kept. Such an arrangement is necessary to control them when they turn aggressive, the memorandum noted.
The department has proposed that the owners of the animals, which cause hurt to human beings or domestic animals shall be proceeded against under criminal law. They shall also be made liable for paying the compensation fixed by the government to the victims.
Besides the owners, the AHD has proposed to bring the dog breeders under the ambit of the legislation.
