PTI
Ghaziabad (UP), 16 October
Amid a spate of pet attacks, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has banned residents from keeping wild Pitbull, Rottweiler and Dogo Argentino breeds as pets.
The Citizens’ Authority on Saturday issued a series of additional guidelines for pet owners, requiring them to obtain a license for their dogs, which will be issued from November 1, and no family may own more than one pet dog.
Pet owners who live in high-rise buildings must use service elevators to take their dogs outside and ensure they are muzzled in public.
The decision comes amid multiple dog bite incidents reported from various parts of the city over the past few months. Pet owners must apply for registration within two months.
“The three breeds – Pitbull, Rottweiler and Dogo Argentino – are wild (khoonkhar) and no permission is given to keep these dogs. No license is issued. If someone buys something like this, he/she is liable. All these three breeds have been banned in Ghaziabad,” BJP leader and GMC councilor Sanjay Singh told PTI on Sunday.
Singh had put forward a proposal to ban these breeds, which was accepted by the local government.
He said people who already own these dog breeds must have them spayed within two months. Mayor Asha Sharma told PTI: “The sterilization of the dogs was made mandatory at the Citizenship Board meeting held on Saturday. Certificate registration will not be granted without spaying.” “If the dog is less than six months old, the owner must sign an affidavit that they will have the pet spayed if they become one,” she added.
The mayor said dog owners love their pets, but they also need to think about the children who have been seriously injured in dog attacks.
“More than 10 children suffered dog bites. A child in Sanjay Nagar colony, Kush Tyagi, was attacked by a pit bull and received 150 stitches in the face. Four days later, another boy was attacked by a dog of that breed,” she said.
All GMC zone officers have been directed to issue notices to pet owners to inform them of the rules and regulations passed at the board meeting.
Regarding stray dogs, Mayor Sharma said residents are allowed to offer food to them at a designated location.
“The Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) would fine dog owners if complaints were received from RWA (Residents’ Welfare Association),” she said.
Previously, the Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Panchkula Municipal Corporation had banned the Pitbull and Rottweiler dog breeds as pets within the city limits.