Off-leash dogs taking a toll on city residents

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, February 27

A majority of pet owners in the city take their dogs out for a walk without tying a leash to them. Dog breeds such as pitbull, gull dong, rottweiler, German shepherd are ferocious in nature and shouldn’t be taken out without a leash. A couple of dog bite cases were reported in the city recently too, where pets without a leash attacked passerby and left them seriously injured.

The civic body is also responsible for the incidents for not keeping a record of pet dogs and it is mandatory for pet owners to get their pets registered with the department. Ironically, there is no check on unregistered dogs by the Municipal Corporation (MC).

Sandeep Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Churian Road, said: “A few days ago, my four-year-old nephew was playing in front of our house in the colony, when an unleashed dog attacked the child. Fortunately, my brother was standing near him and saved him in time. He said: “I am also a pet lover, but I feel that people must study the nature and characteristics of various dog breeds before they keep them as pets.”

“I have experienced such an attack in Garden Avenue on Bypass Road. A furious dog attacked me and I lost the control of my scooter. When I complained to the dog owner, he started arguing with me. Keeping ferocious dog breeds as pets is considered as a status symbol by some people today. This mentality needs to be changed. The MC or police must also start taking strict action against violators to curb such practices,” said Jagjit Singh.

Naveen Kumar, resident of Chheharta, said: “The registration for pets will also increase the revenue of the MC and the civic body officials must start a drive for the registration of pet dogs. It will help the police indentify the persons whose pets attack the passersby.”

What the law says

Under Section 289 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), if any pet harms the life of any individual, the police can book the owner of the pet for the violent act of the pet. Under this section, pet owners can be punished with imprisonment from six months to one year due to their negligence and irresponsibility.