LMC advisory against keeping ferocious breeds as pets

Lucknow, July 19 The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has now identified dog breeds which are ferocious and not meant to be kept as pets.

It has advised residents not to keep these breeds as pets as they could be dangerous to the elderly and children.

This comes after a Pitbull mauled his 82-year-old owner to death in Lucknow last week.

Dr Arvind Rao, director, Animal Welfare, LMC said, "Till now, there is a history of three owners being killed by ferocious dogs in the country. We are advising people against keeping Mastiffs, Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Pitbulls because these dogs have a heavy bite force: if they bite someone, it is almost impossible to open their jaws unless they do it themselves."

The mastiff has a maximum bite force of 552 pounds per square inch (PSI) and if this dog bites anyone then the bones will be crushed. Similarly, the Rottweiler has bite force of 328 PSI, after that American Bulldogs have bite force of 305 PSI, German Shepherds and Dobermans have biting force of 238 PSI, and the Pitbull has bite force of 235 PSI, which is enough to crush a bone."

He said: "In the city, around 927 people have licenses for ferocious species so it is the responsibility of LMC to educate their owners about the behaviour of the dogs and their ferociousness. The LMC will soon be reaching out to these owners to see the conditions in which these ferocious breeds are being kept. The LMC is also contacting professional dog trainers from the police and other departments to examine or train the ferocious dogs if the owners permit."

Besides, the LMC is mulling making the process of issuing licenses for ferocious dogs a bit tough.

They have unpredictable behaviour which is why they need to be trained, said Dr Abhinav Varma, chief veterinary officer, LMC.

Dogs need proper food and a proper space to live. If anything is compromised then they can be dangerous for humans, he added.

"When hungry, these dogs react in anger," said Dr Abhinav Varma, chief veterinary officer, Lucknow Municipal Corporation.

"Anyone who gives food to a ferocious dog should be quick and agile. In the recent case in Kaiserbagh, the woman was around 82. Perhaps her movements were slow. Perhaps she was not able to understand what the dog wanted. Perhaps she was not able to understand the signals of the dog," he added.

He said: "Experts understand the mood of the animal by the way a dog barks. It is a different bark when the dog gets aggressive, they become still and rigid. Their bark becomes guttural, deep it becomes threatening when the dog feels unsafe or angry. That's why training a person who goes close to these dogs is essential."

Echoing Dr Varma's thoughts, Akash Pal, an expert dog-handler, said: "It's imperative to understand the behaviour of dogs before you decide to keep them. I have been treating and training dogs for the last five years. That's why I can understand their aggressive behaviour much better than others. Not only that, I know how to counter aggression.

He explained: "One has to understand the way a dog is barking, growling, snarling, lunging forward or backward. The dog is a territorial animal. It will not like its territory being violated by anyone. One has to understand that aggression in dogs can be a normal form of communication, yet the display of aggression towards a person or animal is often considered undesirable or problematic. Besides, if anyone starts running backward the dog will become more aggressive."