Rules to regulate dog-breeding centres are expected to be implemented by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) soon. The move comes after rescue centres raised an alarm about the rising number of expensive breeds of dogs being abandoned by breeders and their owners if they are unable to reproduce or if they grow old or need more care.
Though the Union government has framed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules) 2017, the BBMP council is yet to adopt them.
- Licence required for breeders
- They stipulate adequate space, regular medical
- check-ups
- Dogs aged below one-and-a-half years and those over eight cannot be allowed for breeding
- Pups can be sold only after two months
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, an animal activist, said many people were breeding dogs in “extremely unhygienic and unhealthy conditions”. “There are shops where dogs are kept in a 10 ft by 10 ft room and are made to breed so that the owners can make money. The dogs are abandoned the day they stop producing healthy pups,” she said. While some dogs are abandoned, many are killed, she alleged. Sandhya Madappa, honorary secretary and trustee of CUPA, said in the last 10 months, they had over a dozen Saint Bernards, 20 Rottweilers, 25 Labradors, 10 pugs, and eight Siberian Huskies at their centre. These included abandoned as well as dogs that have been rescued. “Many of these dogs have been abandoned by breeders as they are not able to reproduce. Many of them were found in a bad shape. They are now covering at our centre,” she said.
Apart from breeders, she said many pet owners too abandon dogs after they grow old or when they need more care. CUPA, over the past few weeks, have put up posts on social media appealing to people to adopt these dogs.
Licensing system
D. Randeep, Special Commissioner, BBMP, said the rules would be placed in the council at the end of the month. “Once this is done, we will ensure that we start a licensing system so that welfare of the animals is taken care of,” he said.
The rules state that breeders need to have a licence and they also stipulate conditions such as adequate space and regular medical check-ups. The rules also state that dogs aged below one-and-a-half years and those over eight cannot be allowed for breeding, and that pups can also be sold only after they are two months old.
Ms. Rajagopal said that while the laws were strong, they need to be effectively implemented. She said that several animal activists had been fighting for the setting up of a State animal welfare board for several years now. The BBMP has written to the Animal Husbandry Department on this.