Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 22 (ANI): People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) on Tuesday urged Maharashtra government to implement a policy prohibiting the breeding, sale, and keeping of certain foreign dog breeds that have been 'deliberately' bred for illegal fighting and aggression.

It came after an incident last week wherein a 43-year-old man encouraged his pit bull to attack an 11-year-old boy in Mumbai, leaving him with injuries. A video of the incident also went viral on social media and drew widespread criticism.

In a letter to Dr K H Govindraj, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, PETA India, said that breeds such as 'Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Pakistani Bully Kuttas, Dogo Argentinos, Presa Canarios, Fila Brasileiros, Bull Terriers, Cane Corsos, and XL Bullies have been deliberately bred for illegal fighting and aggression.'

PETA India further warned that such dogs are often sold to unsuspecting buyers who are themselves attacked or otherwise cannot control the animals.

'This is at least the fourth incident of attacks by pit bull-type dogs that has been reported from Maharashtra this year. Earlier this year, on 9 January, a pit bull viciously attacked a community dog in Aurangabad, and on 22 January in Mumbai, an abandoned pit bull attacked and injured two people on Mahim Beach. And on 25 March, a 37-year-old woman was attacked by a pit bull and a Doberman in Mumbai,' an official statement from PETA India said.

As a result of incidents like these, the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the State of Goa are finalising prohibitions on the breeding, selling, and keeping of pit bull-like dogs bred for aggression and attack. The Jharkhand government recently banned the keeping, selling and breeding of pit bulls, Rottweilers and certain other foreign breeds. And previously, several municipal corporations implemented rules on keeping pit bulls and Rottweilers within city limits, as per the statement.

'Pit bulls and other such foreign dog breeds are bred to be unstoppable weapons and to be abused in dogfights,' says PETA India Advocacy Associate Shaurya Agrawal. 'We urge Maharashtra to immediately pass a statewide policy that prohibits the keeping, breeding and sale of these dogs to protect humans from attacks and dogs from abuse,' the statement added.

Pit bulls, Rottweilers 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, 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, it said.

The statement said that a 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.

PETA India also advised that a prohibition could be achieved in the state by requiring such dogs to be mandatorily sterilised and registered while prohibiting the breeding, keeping, or selling of these dogs after a stipulated date. PETA India is also calling for a closure of illegal pet shops and breeders, as well as a crackdown on illegal dogfights. (ANI)