PETA India again calls for ban on foreign dog breeds after pit bull attack in Delhi
With illegal breeders thriving and stray numbers soaring, PETA says Delhi must stop importing aggression while failing to manage its own
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India has urged the Delhi government to immediately prohibit the keeping, breeding and sale of foreign dog breeds associated with aggression and organised dogfighting, after a pit bull attack left a six-year-old boy in Delhi critically injured.
In a letter to the Delhi chief secretary and the Delhi Cantonment Board CEO, the organisation reiterated its long-standing demand for a ban on breeds such as pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, Pakistani bully kuttas, Dogo Argentinos, Presa Canarios, Fila Brasileiros, bull terriers, Cane Corsos and XL bullies — breeds PETA India says are “deliberately bred for fighting and attacks” and often sold to buyers who later “cannot control them”.
India does not have an all-India statutory ban on specific dog breeds, but several states and municipalities have partial or administrative restrictions. Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Lucknow and parts of Hyderabad, for instance, bar housing societies or pet owners from keeping certain “aggressive” breeds such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. Local civic bodies periodically issue lists of restricted breeds, though these are often challenged, inconsistently enforced, or quietly withdrawn.
What is uniform nationwide is a regulatory ban on breeding or selling dogs without registration, under the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017, and the Pet Shop Rules, 2018 — regulations widely flouted by unregistered breeders who continue to supply high-risk fighting breeds.
PETA India has now asked Delhi authorities to enforce these rules strictly and shut down illegal pet shops operating across the capital.
Supreme Court’s recent intervention on stray dogs
The appeal comes amid continued public debate on dog behaviour and safety, heightened by the Supreme Court’s major order in September 2025 directing states to:
Strictly regulate feeding and management of stray dogs
Ensure municipal bodies conduct humane sterilisation
Prevent dog attacks through better monitoring
Avoid indiscriminate culling
The Court emphasised that both community safety and animal welfare must be balanced, and warned states that failure to regulate stray dog populations violates constitutional duties. Delhi already has an estimated 10 lakh community dogs, a figure PETA says underscores the need for adoption-driven policies rather than fuelling demand for aggressive imported breeds.
PETA India policy associate Shaurya Agrawal said fighting breeds are routinely abused and subjected to violent training regimes. “A policy banning their keeping and breeding would protect both these dogs and the public,” he said.
The latest attack joins a growing list of severe incidents in the capital:
In October 2024, a pet pit bull bit off a 22-year-old man’s ear, requiring an 11-hour microsurgery
A seven-year-old girl was mauled in Jagatpuri
A calf was attacked in Burari
In another Burari case, an 18-month-old child suffered fractures and deep wounds after being bitten
Calling the matter urgent, PETA India has asked the Delhi government to instruct the MCD commissioner and NDMC chairperson to act swiftly on the enforcement gaps that have allowed dangerous breeds to proliferate in the city.
With PTI inputs