After a 5-year-old girl was brutally attacked by two rottweiler dogs in Chennai on May 5, the Tamil Nadu Animal husbandry department announced the ban on 23 dog breeds on Thursday, May 9. The department ordered the ban of these breeds by stating that they pose danger to people. Pet owners who have these dogs must sterilise them and ensure that they are domesticated, the department announced.
The 23 breeds include, Tosa Inu, Fila Brasileiro, American Bulldog, Kangal, Caucasian Shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Mastiffs, Terriers, Wolf Dogs, Akbash, Cane Corso, Pitbull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Boesboel, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd Dog, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Rottweiler, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Canario and Moscow. Importing or selling dogs belonging to these breeds has been prohibited, the state’s Animal Husbandry department said.
Apart from sterlising the dogs, owners have been instructed to ensure that the dogs wear a protective mask and are leashed to good quality collars when in public places. The length of the link chain should be equal to the dog’s body width (at least three times the length) from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, the rules read.
On May 5, a 5-year-old girl named Suraksha – the daughter of a security guard – was attacked by two rottweilers at the Greater Chennai Corporation park, located on the fourth lane in Nungambakkam. Suraksha sustained severe injuries to her head and has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai.