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Cantankerous canines: LMC lists ferocious breeds, advises against keeping them as pets
The LMC will soon be reaching out to these owners to see the conditions in which these ferocious breeds are being kept, officials said
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has identified dog breeds which are ferocious and has advised residents not to keep them as pets as they could be dangerous to the elderly and children.
Dr Arvind Rao, director, Animal Welfare, LMC said, “Till now, there is a history of three owners being killed by ferocious dogs in the country. That’s why people must avoid keeping Mastiffs, Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Pitbulls because these dogs have a heavy bite force: if they bite someone, it’s almost impossible to open their jaws unless they do it.
“The mastiff has a maximum bite force of 552 pounds per square inch (PSI) and if this dog bites anyone then the bones will be crushed. Similarly, the Rottweiler has bite force of 328 PSI, after that American Bulldogs have bite force of 305 PSI, German Shepherds and Dobermans have biting force of 238 PSI, and the Pitbull has bite force of 235 PSI, which is enough to crush a bone.”
He said, “In the city, around 927 people have licenses for ferocious species so it’s the responsibility of LMC to educate their owners about the behaviour of the dogs and make them aware about their ferociousness.
“The LMC will soon be reaching out to these owners to see the conditions in which these ferocious breeds are being kept. The LMC is also contacting professional dog trainers from the police and other departments to examine or train the ferocious dogs if the owners permit.”
Besides, the LMC is mulling making the process of issuing licenses for ferocious dogs a bit tough because ferocious dogs are aggressive with powerful jaws. They have unpredictable behaviour which is why they need to be trained to live with humans, said Dr Abhinav Varma, chief veterinary officer, LMC.
Dogs need proper food and a proper space to live. If anything is compromised then they can be dangerous for humans, he added.
