It may be sad for people who have Rottweilers from Russia, Huskies from Siberia, Shih Tzus from Thailand or St Bernards from the Alps, but we bet those unborn puppies are most definitely not going to miss the Bengaluru heat! In what can be called a new ‘leash’ of life, the government’s latest decision to ban import of foreign dogs is being welcomed by most animal lovers in the city who think it’s nothing short of pawsome!
“The ban is a brilliant first step!” says Achala Pani, founder of Let’s Live Together, a volunteer animal helpline in the city.
An animal activist, Achala works towards finding homes for starving indie pups on the street, and she now believes that there may finally be more takers for them, eventually. Not just that, but, “It’s also a big step towards shutting down the illegal breeding industry — forget breeding standards, most aren’t even registered,” she says.
While years of neglect have seen most Indian breeds dying out, experts predict that indies and indigenous dog breeds like Kombai, Chippiparai, Mudhol, Kanni and Rajapalayam will grow in popularity. “Indies and native breeds need to be homed first — we have so many on the streets and in shelters, poor things,” says another Bengalurean, Priya Chetty Rajagopal who believes that it’s a step in the right direction, provided that it’s implemented. “The pressure on fads and fancy breeds will definitely reduce as people understand the situation better. If illegal imports are what people are worried about, it may not be entirely easy or possible to do so without endangering the health and life of the dog,” says Priya who has a two-year-old cocker spaniel herself.
City vets are in on it too. “New diseases that may be coming into the country will be avoided. Diseases like tick fever that is so rampant now, is not even responding to our medication and it could be because the strain is foreign,” explains Dr. Lohith H.D, a veterinarian. “The ban will hopefully reduce the abandonment of pedigree dogs that are usually thrown out because of hip or skin related diseases that are caused due to inbreeding in the first place — something that the owners may not be able to afford treatment for,” he says.
