The disappearance of a Siberian Husky, a pet in a Delhi home, hogged the headlines last week. The dog, called Zorro, was found a few days after it was thought to have been abducted by a gang of criminals on June 4. Questions are being raised about why Zorro was abducted in the first place. Was it for breeding purposes?

The question assumes significance in view of a recent ban on the import of dogs for breeding. The director-general of foreign trade (DGFT), under the ministry of commerce, has banned the import of such dogs. The DGFT notification of April 25 states: “Import of commercial dogs for breeding or any other commercial activities… is not permitted. The import of dogs is allowed only for the following specific purposes: Pet dog with valid pet book and relevant records/documents in the name of importer, dogs imported by the R&D organisations for conducting research with the recommendation of CPCSEA [Committee for the Purpose of Control And Supervision of Experiments on Animals] and, for the internal security by the Defence and Police Force”.

Animal rights activists are concerned about backyard dog breeders who keep dogs in crowded cages and then often abandon them when they are past their breeding life span. Called “puppy mills”, many of these establishments rear dogs in deplorable conditions.

The existing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, has no provision to deal with problems related to dog breeding. There are no rules regarding the import and care of pedigree dogs. To address this, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) drafted the Pet Shop Rules, 2010, and Dog Breeding, Marketing and Sale Rules, 2010, which it submitted to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change. The ministry forwarded it to the ministry of law and justice, which held that in the absence of any enabling provisions within the PCA Act conferring power on the Centre, rules could not be framed.

The reactions to the ban are mixed. “The ban is a welcome step but it will only prevent new dogs from entering the country. The rules suggested by us also cover animals already in the country. So it’s important to enact these regulations without any delay,” AWBI vice-chairman S. Chinny Krishna says.

The activists believe rules have to be framed for the domestic dog breeding industry, a cash-rich unorganised sector. “This billion-rupee industry is totally tax-free and is a very powerful lobby,” Krishna adds.

What spurs the breeders is the great demand for foreign dogs. Selling exotic dogs has also become easier with the spread of the Net. Suparna Baksi Ganguly, co-founder, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (Cupa), Bangalore, points out that dogs are advertised on popular e-retail websites. 

A quick search on the Internet shows that a Pomeranian or a Spitz pup sells for Rs 3,000-10,000, a Labrador for Rs 5,000-20,000. St. Bernards start from Rs 25,000.

This industry needs to be checked because severe health problems are caused by indiscriminate inbreeding and crossbreeding. Puppies born with congenital defects are also often abandoned by the breeders. 

“Besides, all these canines that are imported are not acclimatised to tropical Indian conditions, causing diseases beyond what the pedigrees are genetically predisposed to,” says the official spokesperson of Humane Society International (HSI), India, a body that works for animal protection.

Abhinav Srihan, founder of animal rights group Fauna Police, calls for a ban on raising foreign breeds such as Huskies, Afghan Hounds and St. Bernards, which find it difficult to survive in India. “There are impractical breeds, too, such as Pugs and Dachshunds that suffer from respiratory, cardiac, ear and skin problems. The breeding of such dogs should be banned entirely,” Srihan says.

The domestic rules are being flouted by many breeders, the activists hold. A report by Cupa shows that many pedigreed dog breeders are not even registered with the AWBI, as mandated by the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. The commercial breeding and sale of dogs is a classified commercial activity and all places where such trade takes place must be notified and registered as “Shops and Establishments” under the Municipal Act. Most breeders use their terraces or backyards and do not have the licence to conduct the trade.

Unregistered, and therefore untraceable, these breeders cram newborn puppies in metal cages with no bedding, access to drinking water or food, and without any exercise.

Female pedigree dogs are forced to reproduce at an early age and repeatedly. No veterinary care is provided to the mothers. When the female dogs are physically unable to breed after a certain age, unscrupulous breeders abandon them.
Srihan and his team have rescued 150 such abandoned female dogs — including 25 St. Bernards — in the past two years. Cupa rescued more than 250 dogs — Labradors, Rottweilers, St. Bernards and Dobermans — last year and 100 in the last four months.

The situation will improve if the ban is effectively implemented, the activists believe. “This ban can be implemented if the airport authorities, airlines and customs are made aware of the law. We need inspection teams in all cities, villages and towns to regularly inspect facilities. The airport authorities and customs may need the local AWBI representative to be present to assist in scrutinising the import applications or paperwork needed for pet dogs,” Ganguly says.

But how does one verify which dog is being brought for breeding and which ones are coming in as pets?

All dogs being imported should be neutered, Krishna suggests. “That’s the only way to prevent further misery.”
Those who want to bring foreign dogs as pets need proper documents. “If you are a pet owner residing outside of India, you can bring your pet into the country provided you have a pet book with the necessary licences and documents,” says the HSI spokesperson.

Dog breeders, however, are worried about the ban. Aurangabad-based Mukund Joshi, whose establishment mostly breeds Labradors and Dachshunds, says such a blanket ban will worsen the gene pool of imported species. “Banning the import of cold-weather dogs is justified. But there are countless species of dogs such as Labradors and German Shepherds which have survived the Indian climate for centuries. They should be imported so that the new generations of dogs don’t suffer and the gene pool remains healthy,” Joshi holds.

S. Raman, secretary, Calcutta Kennel Club, is not in favour of the ban either. “Why don’t the authorities clamp down on those who indiscriminately breed dogs? Every importer is not a breeder. Many import dogs out of pure love. Why should everyone suffer for some people abandoning dogs,” Raman asks.

For the dogs, though, the ban may be good news. Somewhere, tails would be thumping.