For Immediate Release:
29 January 2025
Contact:
Meet Ashar; AsharM@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – In a horrifying incident in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, a pitbull dog left off-leash by their owner attacked a community dog. Following a complaint by a local activist Suraj Bagde and Berryl Sanchis of Aurangabad Pet Lovers Association (APLA), PETA India intervened and worked with the Senior Police Inspector of Jawahar Nagar Police Station to ensure the registration of an first information report (FIR). The FIR has been filed under Section 11(1)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and Sections 325, 125, 291, and 336 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The incident, captured on video, shows the pitbull was off-leash in a public place attacking the community dog, causing grievous injuries. The footage reveals the pitbull holding down the community dog by the throat and then shaking the poor animal. Despite this, the pitbull’s owner failed to intervene or restrain their companion dog. The injured community dog is currently undergoing medical treatment but remains critical.
“PETA India commends the Jawahar Nagar Police Station for promptly acting on the complaint and registering the FIR,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Sunayana Basu. “Pit bull–type dog breeds are bred to be unstoppable weapons and often abused themselves in illegal dogfights. We call for Maharashtra to immediately pass a statewide policy that prohibits the keeping, breeding, or selling of these dogs to protect humans from attacks and dogs from abuse. ”
Pitbulls 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 involving removing part of a dog’s ears or tail 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.
A prohibition could be achieved in the state by making sterilisation and registration of such dogs mandatory while prohibiting breeding, keeping, or selling them after a stipulated date. PETA India is also calling for the closure of illegal pet shops and breeders and a crackdown on illegal dogfighting.
PETA India – whose motto reads that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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