In some good news for animal lovers, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has put an end to the import of dogs for breeding.
The conditions where import is allowed include pet owners with relevant documents, dogs for research with the necessary approvals and dogs for the defence and police forces.
“Import of commercial dogs for breeding or any other commercial activities other than the purposes mentioned above is not permitted,” the DGFT note said.
Lauding the move, the Humane Society International/India (HSI)and People for Animals (PFA) said that the notification comes after organisations urged the government to ban the import on dogs for breeding as it was resulting in an overpopulation of street dogs in India in addition to the suffering endured by the breed dogs due to the difference in climatic conditions.
Gauri Maulekhi, HSI/India consultant and PFA Trustee said, “We commend DGFT for this historic ban which will prevent the suffering of thousands of dogs. Our shelters are inundated with cases of abandoned imported breed dogs which are usually due to poor understanding of the breed’s requirement. We now hope that the Government complements this decision by enacting the Pet Shop & Breeder regulations as recommended by the law commission of India.”
A large number of dogs that are not suitable for the country’s tropical climate such as St Bernards, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and others are imported by breeders in India, a HSI note said.
Last year, the Law Commission had published a report on the ‘Need to Regulate Pet Shops and Dog Breeding and Aquarium Fish Breeding’ recommending that the Central Government regulate the trade in pet shops and dog and aquarium fish breeding practices. The Pet Shop, Dog Breeding and Aquarium Fish Breeding Rules are pending notification with Government, the note added.
jyothi.datta@thehindu.co.in