Udupi: Imagine this… 26 foreign breed dogs in tiny cages in a small compound fed one meal a day, hardly let out, unloved, neglected, sickly, tired and weak, used year after year exclusively for the purpose of breeding so that their owner can sell the puppies and earn a living. Once the dogs grow old and infertile, most of them are abandoned or left to die a slow painful death.
It seems shocking but this is the reality of illegal, unlicensed and unregistered puppy mills.
Apart from regular people who use designated agents to get other breeds to mate with their pets, there are 61 breeders/puppy mill owners in Udupi, 57 of whom operate without registration with the Animal Welfare Board of India under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. They continue to abuse and exploit the dogs, these innocent and voiceless beings who have no escape or saviours to release them from their painful existence.
Instead, people continue to buy these exotic puppies by paying a huge price without giving a second thought to the horrific conditions the parent dogs. As long as there’s demand, there’s supply, and these beings continue to live sad miserable lives. Some of these foreign breeds are not even suited to our weather conditions and you will find that most of them have to visit the veterinary hospitals regularly with some illness or the other. These breeds need very tactful and special handling and if not done properly, they become aggressive. This is when they are either caged, tied or abandoned on the streets. Yet, the craze to own a foreign breed dog hasn’t waned even when thousands of our own desi dogs are suffering on the streets.
Now, however, there is some relief for these trapped and imprisoned dogs and the Karnataka High Court has intervened based on the PIL filed by CUPA. They have ordered the Karnataka Animal Welfare Board to take action and a notification has been published for the mandatory registration of all individuals and organisations who intend to use their pets to breed and sell the puppies for profit. As per the law, a dog can be used to breed only at 18 months old and can breed only once in 3 years. There are other laws and guidelines to ensure the health and welfare of dogs.
Even people who purchase these puppies from unlicensed breeders should be aware that selling the puppies is illegal and that they will be considered accomplices to such offences.
A complaint has also been filed with Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesh about the rampant illegal breeding and cruelty to dogs by Babita Raj, founder trustee, Madhwaraj Animal Care Trust, Malpe. He has started taking stringent action and notices have been issued to the concerned people.
Here are some rules:
The purchase and preference for foreign dogs has also, to a certain degree, led to a stray dog menace, resulting in many of these poor animals getting poisoned by miscreants. To this end, Babita Raj of the Madhwaraj Animal Care Trust, Malpe, will be giving a session on the life of a stray dog. Named “Paws for a Cause”, the programme will be held on January 31 at 6 PM at The Pup Cafe in Manipal.
