Mysore/Mysuru: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) II Court in Mysuru has handed over the custody of six dogs to People For Animals (PFA). The six dogs were rescued from an illegal backyard dog breeder at Udbur village, Jayapura, Mysuru, on Oct. 3. 

Over 12 dogs of various breeds were found at Jayapura and PFA had rescued six of them with the help of Animal Welfare Office and the Police. The Court has granted custody and the canines which have been housed at The Woof Wagon Pet Resort for rehabilitation where they are recuperating.

During the raid, various pedigrees such as Huskies, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Retrievers and Labradors were found housed in dingy metal cages and were covered in ticks, fractures and infections.

According to General Dog Breeding Regulations in India, it is mandatory for dog breeders to register themselves with the State Animal Welfare Board, which this breeder had not done and as such, it amounted to illegality. PFA had booked a Police case against the breeder and had sought the custody of dogs in the Court. 

As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rule, 2017, unnecessary mutilation of ears is banned and yet two Dobermans found with this breeder had their ears cropped and tails docked. PFA has been cracking down on illegal dog breeders due to high rates of animal abuse that occurs in this trade and has rescued more than 100 pedigrees in 2020 after they were abandoned  by breeders.

Alwyn Sebastian, the legal consultant for PFA Mysuru said that during the pendency of an FIR for animal cruelty, the custody of the animal needs to be handed over to an NGO. In this particular case, PFA Mysuru had filed a complaint against a breeder who was breeding dogs in an unhygienic atmosphere and many dogs had developed severe heath complications. Their nutrition and veterinary care was neglected. 

PFA Mysore approached the Court seeking custody of these 6 dogs so as to get them neutered, while the investigation was going on. 

Accordingly, the same was allowed by the Court, in what is considered the first of its kind in Mysuru District, where the Court has granted custody of abused animals to an NGO. Presently, these dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated and are open for adoption after the conclusion of the case, he said.