Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
For years, dog breeders have been working outside the law. They breed foreign dogs in filthy conditions, mate brother to sister, father to daughter, bring hundreds of sickly diseased puppies with uncertain tempers into the world, sell them to people who buy status rather than the dog and make everyone’s life miserable for years. 95% of the thousands of dog bites in India, according to government statistics, are from owned pedigreed dogs. Many are abandoned when they prove to be too temperamental, or too hard to look after, and they die in agonising circumstances- starving, being run over or bitten to death by street dogs. Many of them are sold with distemper or parvo virus, but since the entire trade is in black, the buyer cannot return the dog or demand a refund.
Dog breeding is a business that runs into crores of rupees. Not one paisa comes to the government as it was unregulated until now. The Kennel Club exists to promote breeders and they break every rule themselves. The Government of India, five years ago, banned people from buying and bringing dogs into the country. Even now, the odd customs officer will take a bribe – specially from people coming in from Russia and Uzbekistan – and allow the dog in the duty-free bag through. The dogs coming in through this route are mainly bully dogs who are taken to Punjab where they are made to fight in private farmhouses in front of drunken rich louts who bet on them. They win, they live. They lose, they are shot.
On 23rd May 2017 the Government of India finally brought in a notification regulating the breeding and sale of dogs. Here are the main elements of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules 2017.
A breeder is anyone who owns dogs of specific breeds for the purpose of breeding and sale. Carriers/transporters, people who own boarding houses and people who sell dogs as a business having obtained them from breeders, are also under this Act. So are people who advertise dogs for sale: newspapers, online channels like OLX – they can’t do it any more unless the dog breeder is registered with the Government of India.
No breeder shall carry on any breeding activity or own or house dogs for breeding and sale unless the breeder has obtained a certificate of registration from the State Board . Every breeder shall prominently display the certificate of registration in the establishment.
Every breeder shall keep his establishment open for inspection by a person authorised by the State Board.
The State Board will only issue a registration after inspection of the available space, facilities and manpower in the establishment. They will also fix the maximum holding capacity for each dog breeding establishment.
A certificate of registration shall be valid for a period of two years. Inspections will be done yearly. If there is any complaint, the State Board may have the breeder’s establishment inspected at any time to see whether the rules are being complied with. If the State Board finds these rules are contravened it will revoke the breeder’s registration.
Pups less than eight weeks in age cannot be sold. Dogs over six months in age cannot be sold without being sterilized, unless they are being sold to another licensed breeder. Only healthy dogs, who have been vaccinated, can be sold. Each pup sold is to be micro-chipped and a complete record of treatment and vaccination maintained. A receipt for sale is to be provided to each purchaser and a copy kept with the micro-chip number of the pup sold and name, address and phone number of the purchaser. The breeder shall give the buyer details of feeding, dates of inoculations and de-worming of the pup and the name and address of the vet attending to it.
No breeder shall sell a dog to a pet shop operating without a licence. No pups are to be displayed in public places for the purpose of immediate sale.
Every breeder shall maintain records of all animals housed in the establishment, including dogs for breeding and dogs for sale. Details include breed, name and number, micro-chip number, sex, colour and markings, date of birth, names and microchip numbers of father and mother, name of breeder from whom acquired, date of acquisition, date and place of mating, number of pups whelped, by sex colour and markings, date of sale, death or rehabilitation of each pup, name and address of purchaser, cause of death as determined by a vet and post mortem report of each dog that dies in the establishment. Every breeder shall have documented sales, lease arrangements, spaying or neutering contracts, health and medical records, vaccination record, of each dog. A report will be given to the State Board of the total number of animals sold, traded, bartered, brokered, given away, boarded or exhibited during the year.
Suitable housing in terms of construction, size, number of dogs, exercising facilities, proper temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness, will be provided.
The dogs shall be supplied with wholesome food at suitable
intervals of not more than eight hours, safe and adequate fresh drinking water, a fenced area for adequate exercise or provision for exercising the dog.
Only normal, healthy, mature female dogs, that have reached their eighteenth month, shall be bred after being certified as healthy by a vet.
No female dog shall be exploited to produce litters in two consecutive breeding seasons. Only one litter shall be produced in one year and artificial or unnatural techniques, such as artificial insemination and rape stands, shall not be used to impregnate dogs. No female dog shall be exploited to give birth to more than five litters of pups during her lifespan. No male dog shall be used for breeding till he has reached his eighteenth month and shall be certified as healthy by a vet. Breeders can only mate dogs which are not at all related to one another. Female dogs shall not be mated after the age of eight years.
There shall be no tail docking, ear cropping de-barking, de-clawing, branding, dyeing, injecting substances to enhance visual appeal. Any change of appearance by artificial means is strictly forbidden. Breeding to create new breeds of dogs, or unusual looks, is strictly prohibited.
Every breeder shall have the services of a consultant veterinary practitioner and records of his visits shall be maintained. Individual health records shall be maintained of all animals. Animals which are suffering from contagious, communicable or infectious disease, or exposure to any disease, will have to be quarantined till they have recovered, or humanely euthanized and properly disposed off. A quarantine issued by the vet shall remain in effect and be provided by the vet to the State Board.
Details have been given of how the animals are to be housed, both indoor and outdoor facilities, cages, kennel sizes, floorings, storage of food and bedding, cleaning procedures, disposal of waste, provision of electricity and water, ventilation, exercise facilities for at least thirty minutes twice per day. Socialising with people for 3-5 hours per day is mandatory.
To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org
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