Pit bulls are generally considered too ferocious to be kept as house pets by untrained people. However, experts say they should not be labelled inherently more aggressive than other dogs and that pet parents should ensure proper training and exercise
A 30-year-old Gurugram woman is fighting for her life in yet another incident of a pit bull attack.
The victim, identified as Munni, worked as a domestic help.
She was going for work in the Civil Lines area when she was attacked by the pit bull. As per PTI, the pit bull knocked her down and then attacked her – leaving her head and face seriously injured.
Munni was rushed to hospital by locals.
The police said that the incident occurred after the pit bull owner Vinit Chikara mistakenly let the dog’s harness slack.
“We are investigating the matter and action will be taken according to the law,” PTI quoted Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Preet Pal Singh Sangwan as saying.
The incident comes just a month after an 82-year-old was killed by her pit bull in Lucknow. The woman lived with her younger son, and the family had two pet dogs, including the pit bull.
The pit bull was initially taken away by authorities and then returned to its owners.
In fact, India has witnessed a slew of incidents wherein pit bulls, rotweilers and strays have attacked, maimed and killed people. Which leaves many asking the question – are pit bulls good household pets? Let’s take a closer look:
What is a pit bull?
Pit bulls are medium-size and short hair dogs. Contrary to what most people think, pit bulls aren’t a single breed.
As per Animal Foundation, the term “pit bull” refers to an ill-defined type of dog.
The term originated in the British Isles in the early 1800s with the barbaric sport of “bull baiting” — which saw a bull tied to an iron stake that gave him about a 30-foot radius in which to move, blowing the bull’s nose full of pepper to enrage the animal, and then setting dogs on him to immobilize the bull for public entertainment – which was outlawed in 1835.
The dogs used in the sport were English bulldogs, and then these were crossed with terriers to develop pit bulls.
As per the website, there are at least five breeds of dogs that are commonly misidentified and lumped into the category of the pit bull-type dogs: the English bull terrier, the American bulldog, the boxer, the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier.
Are they safe?
Pit bulls are generally considered too ferocious to be kept as house pets by untrained people.
As this piece in the Times Herald noted: “Pit bulls were bred over hundreds of years for blood sport — for bull and bear baiting, and then for dogfighting. This isn’t an opinion, it’s historical fact. Pit bulls were created to have a killing instinct and a killer bite, to clamp down and to shake, holding onto their victim while being inflicted with physical pain themselves.”
As per Daily O, pit bulls have been banned in 30 countries including the UK, France, Australia and New Zealand.
This is the second incident of a pit bull attack in two months. In July, a Lucknow woman was mauled to death by her pet pit bull. Representatioal image. Pixabay
In the UK, where it was banned in 1991, it was listed as one of the ‘dogs bred for fighting’ in the UK’s Dangerous Dogs Act, 1991, enacted for purposes of public safety.
As per Time Magazine, in the US, pit bulls comprise just six per cent of the dog population, but are responsible for 68 per cent of dog attacks and 52 per cent of dog-related deaths since 1982, according to research compiled by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals 24-7, an animal-news organization that focuses on humane work and animal-cruelty prevention.
Another report shared with Time by PETA found a person killed by a pit bull every 14 days, two people injured by a pit bull every day, and that young children are especially at risk.
The report concluded that “these breeds should be regulated in the same way in which other dangerous species, such as leopards, are regulated.”
The piece in the Times Herald further noted that more than 3,000 unwanted pit bulls are euthanised daily in shelters across the US and Canada due to rampant overbreeding – which is the fault of the unscrupulous pit bull lobby promoting them as safe family pets when they are not.
One in 107 fatally attack an animal and one in 6,000 attack a human, the piece noted.
But not all agree that pit bulls are inherently dangerous.
Pit bulls in India
Experts in India say the onus should be on pet parents to properly train their dogs.
As per The Print, while an increasing number of people are spending tens of thousands of rupees on expensive dog breeds such huskies and rotweilers they don’t comprehend the needs and nature of the dog.
Speaking to The Print, dog behaviour therapists and trainers said it is wrong to label certain breeds as inherently more aggressive than others.
“Pit bulls or rotweilers are not harmful per se. In fact, pit bulls are the most faithful breeds, but they need proper training and discipline,” said Kaveri Rana, a member of the Wildlife and Gaushala committee of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida.
“They are high-energy dogs that need to run at least 10 kilometres every day,” she said, adding that those with elderly family members and children should not opt for pit bulls as pets.
As per India Today, pit bulls are being adopted and abandoned at higher rates than any other dogs.
“Any dog breed cannot be tagged as dangerous to humans. It is wrong. People don’t understand the breed and still buy pit bulls from illegal breeders. They then fail to understand their needs and when they become aggressive, they dump them in shelters. We have many dogs that have been abandoned for being aggressive, and most of them are pit bulls or its cross,” Sanjay Mohapatra, founder, House of Strays, Noida, told the outlet.
“People often take dogs as status symbols after watching some music album without understanding their breed specifications. Working dogs can do good as family pets if they are trained from an early stage. One should never buy a pedigree, especially guard dogs, as a status symbol if they don’t understand their needs,” Mohapatra added.
What does PETA say?
According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), pit bull-type dogs are commonly bred to be used in illegal fighting or kept on heavy chains as attack dogs.
In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal and comes under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
PETA has also has renewed its call to the government to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, to prohibit the keeping, breeding, and sale of foreign breeds of dogs bred for fighting and aggression, such as pit bulls, as well as dogs bred for illegal racing contests and brachycephalic dog breeds.
“Dogs are suffering for cruel human exploits such as criminal dogfighting, illegal racing, and because many people treat them like toys rather than living beings. A prohibition on all breeds used for unlawful fighting and racing, and those with breathing difficulties would protect these dogs from being born only to face cruelty and suffering,” veterinarian and CEO of PETA India, Manilal Valliyate said.
PETA India previously sought legal amendments to “safeguard” these breeds from such “cruel exploitation”.
“Organised dogfights are prevalent in Punjab, Haryana, and other parts of north India, making pit bull-type dogs the most abused breed. In a fight, the dogs are encouraged to continue until both dogs become exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dies,” the statement read.
With inputs from agencies
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