BENGALURU: City corporation’s byelaw limiting the number of dogs pet owners can own and putting out a list of 64 “approved breeds” has received flak from pet owners, dog lovers and animal activists. They gathered at Cubbon Park on Sunday to protest against this rule, which has been put on hold for now.
What about the ones left out?
Supriya Hiremagalur, volunteer with Cubbon Park Canines and owner of an eight-year-old indie dog said, “In the list given by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) of the 64 approved breeds of dogs, indie dogs, golden retrievers, beagles and cocker spaniels have been excluded. All foreign and exotic breeds have been listed, and there are many that are not suited for Indian climate. As it is we are trying to encourage people to adopt indie dogs. If they are excluded from the list, things will get harder for them. Disabled dogs, blind dogs and very old dogs... what will happen to them?”
Dog numbers
Pet owners are also deeply worried about BBMP’s restriction on the number of dogs a person can keep -- one in an apartment and three in an independent house.Supriya said, “What about people who already have more than one dog? Will they give it up from adoption? There are so many dogs already waiting to be adopted. This will add to the queue. In a state of panic, people will end up abandoning their dogs and the stray dog population will go up in the city, which could be a concern.”
A few dog owners have already faced opposition from associations of apartments they live in. Shailaja and Pakhi who own two dogs, 3 and 9 year olds, live in a high-rise in Sarjapur, which has about 1,600 residents.“Out of these many people, maybe 10 have a problem with dogs and they have jumped on this rule to make the apartment complex ‘dog free’. The number of dogs a family can own should depend on whether they can care for them adequately and not just randomly fixed numbers.”
Who’ll go after backyard breeders?
Sanjana Mandapa, member of CUPA - Second Chance Adoption Centre, said, “There are no rules put out by BBMP to curb backyard breeders. These breeders make the female dogs breed from when they are six-months-old, and when the dogs are past their prime or fall sick after a few years, the breeders dump them on the road. Through rules, BBMP should try and stop them and not go after pet owners.”
Not all the suggestions by Palike were being rejected by pet owners.Asha Mallan, volunteer with Cubbon Park Canines, said, “Making it essential to obtain licenses for the dogs and getting them renewed is welcome. Ensuring that pet walkers or owners scoop the pet’s poop is also a good move. It will ensure a
cleaner city.”
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, from Canines for Cubbon Park, said, “The main job of BBMP Animal Husbandry Department is Animal Birth Control. They should focus on that rather than formulating such unconstitutional guidelines. We hope to stop this through a legal process this time, like we did in 2003, 2011 and 2016.”
Following a meeting of pet owners and animal activists with BBMP Mayor Sampath Raj last week, the byelaws had been temporarily suspended. The Mayor also assured them that feedback from citizens will be conveyed to the government and changing the byelaw will be considered.
What the list missed
Indie, Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever and Beagle