Mysuru: Does your dog have a licence? You will be asked this question soon as the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is mulling to bring in a rule where licences for pet dogs will be mandatory. The MCC action comes after a child was mauled by a pet dog in Kuvempunagar on Sept. 7.
It may be recalled here that two-year-old Amoghavarsha was attacked and scalped by the family pet Rottweiler when he was playing along with the animal at Dattagalli Second Stage near Kuvempunagar. After the attack, the little boy bore several gnashes on his head and he underwent multiple plastic surgery and other related corrective procedures at a city hospital.
Taking the dog attack incident seriously, the MCC will bring in the licence rule within a week or so. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Assistant Director of MCC Veterinary Department Dr. Suresh said that once the licence rule is implemented, all pet owners in the city will have to get their dogs registered.
Cats and some other pets excluding species protected under different schedules need no licence, apparently because they are considered less likely to cause harm to others. “It is the responsibility of the pet dog owners to get the licence done. This will help us keep track of pet population in city,” he said.
In New Delhi and Mumbai, pet owners can get the licence online. This helps the officials keep a count of dogs that have received anti-rabies vaccination. In Bengaluru, the civic body has proposed a one-dog-per-flat and three-dogs-per-house-rule to regulate the number of pet dogs.
Once a pet owner applies for a licence, he/ she will have to fill up a particular format that will have a series of questions to understand the purpose of owning a pet. “People will have different needs and there are dogs to suit their requirements. We can suggest the dog breeds so that ferocious ones like the Rottweilers and the Pit Bull can be avoided,” Dr. Suresh said.
Pet owners will be sensitised on the rules for pets that have been listed under Society for Prevention of Cruelty for Animals Act, he added.
BOY STABLE AFTER SURGERY
The condition of Amoghavarsha, an LKG student of Vidyavardhaka Institutions, is stable. The boy underwent a six-hour surgery at a private hospital and is recuperating, said his father Ajay Prasad, a techie with Infosys. Ajay said that they had brought the Rottweiler three years back and was like a member of the family.
“My son was ready to go for an evening walk with his mother and as soon as my son came out of house and started running, the dog followed him and caught him by his head and shook him from side to side,” Ajay said and added that more than 80% of his son’s scalp was severely bruised and he sustained deep bite injuries on his face, chest, back and neck region.
Apart from the Rottweiler, the family has four other pets. The other breeds include a German Shepherd, a Doberman, a Labrador and a Pit Bull.
VETS TO STUDY DOG’S BEHAVIOUR
Veterinary doctors will study the behaviour of the Rottweiler that attacked the little boy. Officials attached to Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services told Star of Mysore that Dr. Srinivas, who is attached to the K.G. Koppal Veterinary Hospital, will visit the house to study the behaviour of the dog and the conditions under which the pet is placed. He will submit a report to the Deputy Director P.M. Prasad Murthy.
Rottweilers are known for their ferocity. When such dogs are reared as pets, owners should take extra precautions by not allowing children or aged people close to them.
Pet dog attack: A Vet’s view
Veterinarian Dr. C.S. Arun of Gokulam has the following observations on the pet dog attacking a little boy. Terming the incident as utterly shocking, Dr. Arun says that the incident mandates an urgent introspection on the part of all pet-parents as to what went wrong.
- Breed selection: Before bringing a pet, one has to consult a Vet so as to get inputs about the breed character and its requirements. Choose a breed which you can control. Don’t go by your whims and fancies or advertisements or machismo.
- Upbringing: Dog is a pack animal and it will follow a strong leader. Since puppy-hood itself, show him who the boss is. Provide ample space to move around. Tying up for prolonged duration makes him frustrated. Give him lot of exercise and also your personal time.
- Training: Obedience training the puppy at an age of around four months is a must.
- Neutering: Many pet-parents overlook this factor. Sexual urge makes male dogs more aggressive. 90% of the dogs will not get a chance to mate in their life-time. So, always go for neutering your pet at an early age of around six months.
Five large sized guard and work breeds in a house is too much. Many of these breeds need their own space and territory. Having just one of them itself is a big responsibility on owners, they need dedicated focus right from introduction to training. That child suffered a lifetime disability for no mistake of his, but due to the fancy hobby of his father. While I’m sure this father must be really sad at this time, fact is that he is the reason for this. This dog could have attacked any other kid on the road on a different day. I’m angry because I’m seeing too many german shepherd owners on the street, arrogantly walking their alsatians, and just smiling at the strangers terrified by the dogs’ aggressive charge. This is not machismo and this is not fun.
Licensing is not the solution. MCC is reacting and not responding. Can MCC ask people not to buy these ferocious breeds?
How about making sure breeders don’t sell certain breeds in the first place?
No western breed other than Labrador and Golden Retriever is suitable for homes.
Still better. Go Indian. Adopt Indian stray dogs. Get them neutered. By doing this, you would be helping MCC in reducing the stray dog menace. I forgot. We are Indians and have fetish for foreign things. Alas!
This incident put me in tears as Ajay Prasad is my former colleague. I have known him for 6 years and he is a big dog lover. At times we used to discuss about his pets and he had reiterated an incident that had occurred at his house 7 years ago. His Pitbull had once bitten a gas delivery boy and part of the delivery boy’s calf muscle was in the Pitbull’s mouth. So, this hasn’t been a first such instance at his house. Remember, Pitbull and Rottweiler breeds are Number 1 and 2 most ferocious breeds in the world and account for almost 75% of dog attacks in USA. It’s very very important that these breeds undergo a training by a professional dog trainer while they are being reared at homes. I guess certifying and licensing may just help in maintaining the numbers and vaccination of the dogs but won’t be effective in stopping or reducing such attacks. Educating owners and ensuring that these animals get proper training is what can at least minimize such ghasty attacks. I am not a dog expert but I am a big time animal observer and I write frequent blogs about animals on http://www.quora.com.