Lucknow to Enforce Dog Breed Ban from April Onwards

Lucknow: Following a letter from the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department to state governments, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation will now run a door-to-door campaign to enforce the dangerous dog ban introduced by the central government. From April 1, the LMC will be visiting households in their constituency and checking the presence of dangerous dogs. The Central Government has banned 23 dog breeds from being kept as pets, citing them as dangerous breeds.

The Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department recently penned a letter to state governments throughout the country, seeking a ban on the following dog breeds for being “ferocious” and “dangerous to human life”: Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf Dogs, Canary Dogs, Akbash, Moscow Guard and Cane Corso.

According to LMC officials, the MC will not be issuing fresh pet licenses and registration for these dog breeds from April 1. The ban also extends to breeding centers, who are now prohibited from breeding these dog breeds for captivity. Those who already own a dog from one of these banned breeds will be permitted to keep their dog’s, provided owners have a pet dog license and have registered their dogs with the LMC.

Banned breed owners will also have to get their pets sterilized and vaccinated and keep their licenses valid and up to date. Banned dog breed owners can keep the pups if the female of such a bred is currently pregnant, but no further breeding or offspring will be permitted. According to Dr Abhinav Verma, LMC animal welfare officer, a fine of INR 5,000 will be imposed and the dog will be confiscated if a pet owner is found to have a dog of banned breed without licence and registration during the door-to-door drive. 

According to the LMC, there are roughly 400 pet dogs who are a banned breed in Lucknow. In this financial year, the LMC issued 5,370 new pet dog licenses, with a majority of those being issued to indigenous breeds and other popular dog breeds like Labradors and German Shepherds.