Pitbulls and related dog breeds abandoned : After the Animal Husbandry Ministry’s letter to state governments recommending a ban on certain dog breeds, pitbulls and other dog breeds are facing the prospect of being abandoned at an alarming rate.
Also, suddenly many dogs of such breeds have been put up for adoption in the last week itself. Dog parents and activists are worried about such chaos due to misinformation being circulated on various social media platforms.
Sanjay Mohapatra, founder of House of Stray Animals shelter, said, “One of the abandoned dogs could not be identified as a pitbull mix from its appearance, making the government’s move completely futile as the DNA of the 23 breeds to be banned is getting mixed with stray dogs and even other pedigree dog breeds. In many cases only experts can identify the mix breeds.” According to social media trends, many of the 23 breeds that have been suggested to be banned from further breeding are being tried by pet owners.
Puppies and young puppies of Chow Chow, Dogo Argentino, Rottweiler and many other such breeds are ready to be adopted in Delhi-NCR.
“It is sad that the government has taken such a step without consulting experts or forming a committee involving dog parents and activists. This move has created so much confusion that dog parents are not only not willing to give their dogs up for adoption but are also abandoning them at an alarming rate. It is a really bad situation,” said Mohapatra, whose shelter is taking care of such abandoned dogs.
Similar incidents have been reported at other dog shelters in the national capital region, where dog owners are abandoning their pet pitbulls and related breeds.