Tamil Nadu Re-Issues Centre’s Dog Breed Ban Before Revoking It Soon After

Chennai: In a move that has left people scratching their heads, Tamil Nadu re-introduced the center’s ban on ‘dangerous’ dog breeds, only to withdraw the announcement shortly after. 

One of the main reasons the re-introduction of the ban was considered was a dog attack earlier in the month, where two rottweilers mauled a five-year-old at a park under the GCC’s jurisdiction. Following this tragic event, the Tamil Nadu government banned the breeding, import, and sale of 23 pure & mixed dog breeds classified as ‘ferocious’. 

However, the announcement was later withdrawn in the evening, as an identical circular issued by the center was stayed by the Madras High Court in March and revoked by other high courts nationwide. While issuing an order of interim stay, the high court ordered that secretary of state department of animal husbandry dairying and fisheries be impleaded as a party-respondent.

The State Government’s statement on Thursday released by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) was a word-for-word account of the Union Government notification. The statement also included specific instructions for pet dog owners; "Dogs must wear leashes and muzzles when they are in public places. The leash chain length should be proportional to the body width (at least 3 times the length) from the tip of the dog's nose to the bottom of the tail. Dogs must wear good quality collars or shoulder braces to keep their pets out to ensure safety for pets and the public," it says.

According to the original list released by the center, the list of dangerous dog breeds (including mixed and cross breeds) include the Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boesboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepher Dog, Caucacian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa, Japanese Akits, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Terriers, Rhodesian Rideback, Wolf Dogs, Canario, Akbash, Moscow Guard, Cane Corso, every breed of Bandog.