Pit Bull Kills Child in Goa; PETA India Calls On State to Ban Foreign Dog Breeds Bred for Attack
Following the death of a 7-year-old boy in Anjuna, Goa, after a pit bull tore into his face and clamped down on his neck while he was visiting a neighbour with his mother, PETA India sent a letter to Goa’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, calling on the authority to implement a policy prohibiting breeding, selling, or keeping dog breeds such as pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, Pakistani bully kuttas, Dogo Argentinos (Argentine mastiffs), Presa Canarios (Spanish mastiffs), Fila Brasileiros (Brazilian mastiffs), bull terriers, and XL bullies, who have been deliberately bred for fighting and aggression. PETA India warns that such dogs are often sold to unsuspecting buyers who are themselves attacked or otherwise cannot control the animals.
A prohibition could be achieved by enforcing mandatorily sterilisation and registration of these dog breeds and prohibiting breeding, keeping, or selling them after a stipulated date. PETA India is also calling for the closure of illegal pet shops and breeders as well as a crackdown on illegal dogfights.
Pit bulls and similar foreign dog breeds are primarily used for dogfighting in India, even though inciting dogs to fight is illegal under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Without suitable enforcement and regulation, organised dogfights have become prevalent in parts of the country, making pit bull–type dogs and others used in these fights the most abused dog breeds. Pit bulls and related breeds are also otherwise typically kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in aggressive defensive behaviour and a lifetime of suffering. Many endure painful physical mutilations, such as ear cropping and tail docking – illegal procedures that involve removing part of a dog’s ears or their tail to try to prevent another dog from grabbing them during a fight. These dogs are encouraged to continue fighting until they become exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dies. Because dogfighting is illegal, injured dogs are not taken to veterinarians.
