Goa cabinet approves ordinance to ban pitbulls, rottweilers in the state

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said that those who already have these breeds of dogs will have to take care of them and take responsibility

PANAJI: The state government plans to amend the Goa animal breeding, domestic regulations, and compensation ordinance 2024 to include a ban on the import, sale, and breeding of pitbulls and rottweilers, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday after attending a cabinet meeting.

In August of the previous year, a pitbull mauled to death a five-year-old boy who had gone to visit his mother, who worked as a maid at the dog owner’s home (Representative photo)

“We have approved an amendment to the Goa animal breeding and domestic regulations and compensation ordinance 2024 to ban pitbulls and rottweilers. Those who already have these breeds of dogs will have to take care of them and take responsibility,” Sawant said.

Last year, the Centre imposed a ban on the import, sale, and breeding of 23 “ferocious” dog breeds, including Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Russian Shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf dogs, Canario, Akbash dog, Moscow Guard dog, and Cane Corso, which are considered to be a “threat to human life”. The central government had also called for the enforcement of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules 2017 and the Pet Shop Rules 2018.

In 2013, Mission Rabies was launched in Goa after the state was identified as an ideal location to set the standard for rabies elimination across India. On May 17, 2021, Goa’s director of animal husbandry, Agostinho Mesquita, issued a notification in the official gazette declaring Goa a ‘rabies-controlled state.’

Speaking on the World Rabies Day in 2023, Sawant highlighted the threat to Goa’s “rabies-controlled” status posed by dogs brought from outside the state and promised to ban aggressive dog breeds. He cited an incident that occurred in August 2023 when a rottweiler jumped over the gate of a house and attacked two children, leaving one seriously injured. Since then, there have been two more cases of deadly dog attacks in the villages of Assagao and Anjuna, Sawant said.

After a rottweiler attacked a 40-year-old man in north Goa’s Assagao village, the village issued an order on February 4 stating that owners of certain aggressive breeds of dogs, like pit bulls and rottweilers, “must not allow their pets to roam in open public places,” and if found doing so, would be prosecuted for the offence. In August of the previous year, a pitbull mauled to death a five-year-old boy who had gone to visit his mother, who worked as a maid at the dog owner’s home.