Angry with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) newly approved pet licensing bylaws, Bengalureans took to protest on Sunday against the notification which has currently been put on hold.
Hundreds gathered in Cubbon Park on Sunday morning with their pet dogs as a show of strength and to showcase their love for their four-legged friends as part of the ‘Not Without My Dog’ campaign.
The aforementioned regulation mandated that apartment dwellers could only own one dog and those in independent houses could only own three. Further, the BBMP also put out an ‘approved’ list of breeds which could be reared in Bengaluru apartments. The list not only appeared to be heavily plagiarised from one published by the Singapore Housing and Development Board, but also did not include popular breeds such as Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Beagles or Indian strays (Indie).
Vijay Nishnath, a popular environmentalist who also joined Sunday’s protest said, “As human beings, it is our duty to protect these voiceless friends. Dogs have been living with humans for ages. Not only cows, we should take care of all animals and every animal has to be treated equally.”
Speaking against the law, he said, “The government should not get to decide how many dogs I get to keep.”
Dog lovers across the city have been protesting since Wednesday, against the move and some of them have even met the city’s mayor, Sampath Raj.
“This is a show of solidarity for all dog lovers. We wanted to sit down and address our concerns. The good news is that the BBMP has confirmed that they will not implement the law until further public consultation. There are so many people who are worried and today’s gathering shows that we are a demographic which needs to be counted,” said Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, an activist, on a Facebook Live video with Vijay Nishnath.
Many people have adopted multiple dogs which had been abandoned or were critically ill due to an accident or disease, the new regulations would potentially mean premature deaths to these dogs which need medical attention.
Speaking to TNM, one veterinary surgeon said, ““It appears that there has been no homework, no conversation with those who have pets to understand their feelings towards their furry companions. It seems like a shoddy copy paste job from a foreign law.”