Animal
Rottweilers, Pet Owners and Cats Face the Heat After Dog Bite Incident | Chennai News
Rajeswari Dhar of Padur has been receiving unpleasant messages on her residents’ WhatsApp group for the past few days since the dog bite incident in Thousand Lights. The point of contention is her eight-year-old Rottweiler Kaiser, who is thankfully unaware of the chaos. “Someone in this apartment complex has a Rottweiler, a prohibited breed; all unlicensed animals in this building need to be removed,” the messages say.
“All these years, no one has ever had a problem with Kaiser. I take him for a walk at 5 am, he is always on a leash and muzzled in elevators,” says Rajeswari. “People are using the incident as a tool to air their personal grievances.”
Rajeswari also says there is no clarity on whether Rottweilers as a breed are banned or not, and if so, what to do with existing pets. “People are abandoning these breeds on the streets, which is an even more dangerous situation for both the dogs and the public.”
The biting incident has left the “anti-dog squad” up in arms with renewed energy against pet owners and animal activists in Chennai, which even extends to cats, using “mandatory license” as a weapon . The latest is a request from a resident of Arihant, Koyambedu, to the residents’ association to remove all stray cats from the premises because they are “unlicensed” and “eat pigeons”!
Aishwarya Sathyanarayanan, an animal rescuer at OMR, says she received similar requests last week. “I keep explaining to them that we can’t remove cats for no reason. But I’m worried because you never know what measures people will take.”
The CCG’s directive to register companion animals lacks clarity, she adds. “Where and how? Rescue teams continue to take in hundreds of strays and we cannot afford to register them all. Furthermore, the license sent to many pet owners was just an editable Word document.”
There is also no clarity on how those living outside the CCG area can obtain licences. “Half of the OMR lies outside the city limits, and the panchayats have no idea about dog licenses,” says Harsha Koda of the Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA). “Mandatory pet registration represents a challenge. However, ultimately, just as parents are responsible for the actions of their children, dog parents must be responsible for the actions of their pets,” he said.
The license also requires a rabies vaccination certificate from certain government centers, which has made it difficult for those who have recently vaccinated their pets at private clinics, says Sheridan Rozario of Madhavaram, who has been working in animal rescue for 25 years. .
“These are knee-jerk reactions made without consulting stakeholders. Pet registration has been around forever, as has the basic rule that pet dogs must be leashed in public. Why are there no signs in parks to release them Is it illegal? Asking to nuzzle dogs is again hasty; it’s like blindfolding human beings.”
Instead, what is needed is responsible pet husbandry, says Rajeswari. “I have a license for my Rottweiler. That doesn’t mean I can let him out in public. A dog’s temperament depends on how he is raised and socialized, not his breed.”
“All these years, no one has ever had a problem with Kaiser. I take him for a walk at 5 am, he is always on a leash and muzzled in elevators,” says Rajeswari. “People are using the incident as a tool to air their personal grievances.”
Rajeswari also says there is no clarity on whether Rottweilers as a breed are banned or not, and if so, what to do with existing pets. “People are abandoning these breeds on the streets, which is an even more dangerous situation for both the dogs and the public.”
The biting incident has left the “anti-dog squad” up in arms with renewed energy against pet owners and animal activists in Chennai, which even extends to cats, using “mandatory license” as a weapon . The latest is a request from a resident of Arihant, Koyambedu, to the residents’ association to remove all stray cats from the premises because they are “unlicensed” and “eat pigeons”!
Aishwarya Sathyanarayanan, an animal rescuer at OMR, says she received similar requests last week. “I keep explaining to them that we can’t remove cats for no reason. But I’m worried because you never know what measures people will take.”
The CCG’s directive to register companion animals lacks clarity, she adds. “Where and how? Rescue teams continue to take in hundreds of strays and we cannot afford to register them all. Furthermore, the license sent to many pet owners was just an editable Word document.”
There is also no clarity on how those living outside the CCG area can obtain licences. “Half of the OMR lies outside the city limits, and the panchayats have no idea about dog licenses,” says Harsha Koda of the Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA). “Mandatory pet registration represents a challenge. However, ultimately, just as parents are responsible for the actions of their children, dog parents must be responsible for the actions of their pets,” he said.
The license also requires a rabies vaccination certificate from certain government centers, which has made it difficult for those who have recently vaccinated their pets at private clinics, says Sheridan Rozario of Madhavaram, who has been working in animal rescue for 25 years. .
“These are knee-jerk reactions made without consulting stakeholders. Pet registration has been around forever, as has the basic rule that pet dogs must be leashed in public. Why are there no signs in parks to release them Is it illegal? Asking to nuzzle dogs is again hasty; it’s like blindfolding human beings.”
Instead, what is needed is responsible pet husbandry, says Rajeswari. “I have a license for my Rottweiler. That doesn’t mean I can let him out in public. A dog’s temperament depends on how he is raised and socialized, not his breed.”
