Pet project: As dog bite cases rise, people demand banning of some breeds

NAMRATA CHIMNI (38) comes from a family of pet lovers. From Labrador, Spitz, Golden Retriever to Samoyed and Irish Setters, her family has had many dog breeds for company for years at the tea estates managed by her father. Two years back, during the lockdown, when she decided to get her own pet at her house in Greater Kailash, Delhi, she didn’t think twice before making a 25-day-old American Pitbull, named Bison, a part of the family. A spate of recent viral pet dog-bite incidents has this semi-permanent makeup artist worried as her two-and-a-half-year-old happy-go-lucky Bison, a darling of neighbourhood kids, is among the dog breeds that have been in news lately for all the wrong reasons. The rumours about a likely ban on some breeds have led to many residents of her gated housing society coming up to her and telling her to keep her dog indoors. Even as this loving pet parent tries her best to explain that a breed cannot be villainised for a dog bite, “Bison,” she says, “listens intently, gladly wagging his tail, which is funny and quite sad too.”

Keeping a pet dog is a huge responsibility, says Namrata. “The onus of a pet’s behaviour lies with the owner. These incidents indicate that the pet has not been raised properly. The dogs are not the problem, their owners are,” she adds.

A Pitbull recently attacked a 10-year-old in a Ghaziabad housing society and left him with more than 150 stitches, while in another incident, a German Shepherd bit the private parts of a delivery boy in Mumbai. In yet another incident, a Beagle attacked a boy in a lift in a Noida high-rise. Some of these incidents were captured in the security cameras. Many housing societies have raised a red flag against some dog breeds and asked for a ban on their presence. An official decision is yet to be taken on this issue.

According to data, India has recorded more than 1.5 crore animal-bite cases since 2019. Most of these are dog-bite cases, by strays more than pet dogs. Of the nearly 750 dog-bite cases reported at the Nodal Rabies Centre, Sector 19, Chandigarh, in October, pets accounted for only 120. “The number of dog-bite cases increases around festivals like Diwali when the animals are exposed to loud sounds such as those of crackers,” says a medical officer at the centre.

“Biting is the basic temperament of a dog, which can get aggravated in hostile conditions. Dogs need proper space to move around and play. Confining them to smaller spaces or keeping them chained for long can make them irritable and restless. It is essential that a dog has access to an open space or nearby park,” says Dr Narender Kumar, a Chandigarh-based veterinarian. Neutering a dog can help calm down its aggression, he adds.

Gurugram-based dog breeder and trainer Vijaypal, however, feels that it is immaterial if you are living in a 1BHK or a house spread over acres. “What is important is that that you give time to your dog. A number of people adopted dogs as companions during the lockdown. However, once the schools and offices resumed, the dogs were left alone at home. Many of them started getting anxiety issues. Dogs are like human babies. Before leaving them alone for longer periods, make sure that they are adequately prepared for your absence,” he says. According to a survey by Mars Petcare India, the lockdown saw six in 10 persons encouraged to adopt a pet.

Owner of a two-year-old mixed Bully, Tyson, Gurugram-resident Harish Gaur (29) feels, “Even though each day innumerable incidents of stray dog bites keep taking place, housing societies are targeting pet dog breeds like the Pitbull and American Bully. Tyson plays with the children in our housing society and is very gentle and affectionate, just like my previous dog, Rayno, a German Shepherd. Due to its looks and high energy, a Pitbull is often compared to its ancestors when it was trained for fighting and baiting but the dog has been domesticated and pedigreed over time.”

Agrees Mehak Sharma (21), who lives in Oakwood Estate, DLF Phase 2, Gurugram, and is a proud owner of two dogs: a Rottweiler and an American Bully. “Both my dogs are well-behaved. My Rottweiler, Sultan, wags his tail whenever he sees any small kid. Adults, however, do get scared, even though he has never shown any aggressive behaviour. However, he is very naughty and frisky. Myson, an American Bully, is very calm and lazy. There’s not a single aggressive trait in his nature. We got them trained when they were seven-eight months old. We made sure there was no hitting and the trainer used only the reward method. We exercise them separately for an hour every morning and evening.” Her father Rajnish, a businessman, adds, “Both are pedigreed dogs and have been bought from reputed kennels in Delhi. Both were sired by parents who have won prizes in various dog shows.”

According to Dr Ajay Pal Mangat, a Ludhiana-based veterinary doctor, all dog breeds — whether hunters or retrievers or guard dogs — usually have typical characteristics or genetic memory of the original purpose these dogs were bred for. He says, “Nearly 80 per cent of any dog’s temperament and behaviour is dependent on his pedigreed breeding and only 20 per cent is dependent on the upbringing or upkeep by the owner. A pedigreed breeding takes care of the temperament and confirmation (of a pet’s nature/behaviour) of any breed. A pedigreed dog with certification and known pedigreed parents will also have less chances of having genetic diseases.”

Consult a vet, dog trainer, handler or registered breeder before getting a dog, says Muktsar-based breeder Yadwinder Singh Yadu. “It is important to understand which breed will be best as per your family’s requirement. Keep a dog only if you have time for them. In families where there are elderly people and small children, one should go in for breeds like French Bulldog, Fox Terrier, Dachshund and Shih Tzu. Beagle, Rottweiler and Pitbull are very high-energy dog breeds. They need large spaces to move around, else they can become irritable.”

“You need to give time to your dog. Period. Even if you have long work hours, take out at least an hour every day to be with your dog. Train only using positive reinforcement,” says Ferozepur-based award-winning dog handler and trainer Parmod Kumar. No dog breed, he says, is bad or criminal. With proper training, you can channel the energy of any dog. “All dogs show territorial behaviour. By nature, they will guard their territories. Sometimes, they can be aggressive inside their own territory and even to those known to them.” This was something Mohali-based Dr Manmohan Krishan Arora experienced. He hadn’t anticipated that the Rottweiler his son had got for security purposes would turn aggressive after his son left to study abroad. Says the general physician, “While initially we felt that his aggressive nature would change once he grows up, it only escalated over the years. He became very possessive and protective of the family.”

Dr Sudhakar Natarajan, DIG (Veterinary), ITBP, Delhi, is the man behind training and deploying the first batch of Malinois (Belgian Shepherd) K9 unit for counter-insurgency purposes. Proud owner of a desi-Labrador mix breed, this Greater Noida-based senior officer says, “The breeds likely to face a ban are not the villains. It is the ‘man’. Any breed, if given a conducive environment, can become a loving pet or a valuable working dog. Even a cuddly Lab can be converted into a dangerous dog by insensitive humans if he is negatively reinforced by cruel handling and suppression of his energy-outlet mechanisms.”

Agrees Mohali-based Ajay Pathania. “When I got my German Shepherd, Sultan, around 13 years back, I wanted it to be a good guard dog. However, in my enthusiasm for security and safety, I trained him to be too aggressive. Initially, I felt proud at having such a dangerous dog that no one could enter my house in my absence. However, after a while, it became so possessive of me that it would pounce on anyone who even came close to me, including another pet Pug that we got for his company. Sultan died about three years back. I kept two more dogs after him but I never repeated my mistake.”

A checklist for dog parents

• Before adopting, check with a vet, dog trainer or registered kennel on the kind of dog that would be best suited for your family and house.
• Avoid buying pups from breeders. Adopt them from friends, family or simply the street.
• Begin socialisation of your pups early. Make your pet familiar with visitors as well as other dogs from an early age. Neutering can help calm down aggression.
• Take time to train the dog. Use positive reinforcement. Set a routine, be it feeding, exercise or play time.
• Exercise your dog daily as per the breed’s requirement. It will help to spend the extra energy your dog has and also cut down aggressive behaviour.
• Do not leave your dog unattended, especially around people. Keep the dog on leash in public spaces.
• Picking up your dog’s poop is basic manners.
• Be regular with your pet’s check-up.

Bitten hard

• On August 11, Munni, a domestic worker, was on her way to work in Civil Lines, Gurugram, when a Dogo Argentino, who was not on a leash while on a walk with his owner, attacked her. She received multiple injuries, including on her head. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram has been directed to provide her compensation and ban 11 breeds of ferocious dogs.
• A fine of Rs 10,000 was slapped on the owner of the pet dog that bit a boy inside a housing society elevator in Greater Noida on November 16.