Kerala will need licenses for dog owners and breeders

The animal husbandry department is preparing to enact strict regulations to guarantee proper pet parenting and control dog breeding in the state, after the Center’s ban on vicious dog breeds and a spike in complaints.

The intention is to impose license fees and registration on breeders, store operators, and pet parents.

J Chinchu Rani, the Minister for Animal Husbandry, said that the government is preparing to enact strict guidelines in order to legalize the pet business. “We have educated stakeholders via seminars in each district. Our goal is to enact licensing and registration for breeders and pet owners. The laws will soon be aggressively implemented in the state, according to Chinchu Rani, who spoke with TNIE after many conversations. The minister said that breeders will be required to pay a licensing cost that may reach Rs 5,000.

Illegal breeding has increased as a result of the state government’s prolonged hold on the Pet Shop Rules, 2018 and the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 under the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act (PCAAA).

“After calling a meeting with the animal welfare board following the Lok Sabha election, we will finalize all decisions to be taken to implement the central rules,” she said.

The Kerala State Animal Welfare Board is reportedly planning to introduce an online registration and licensing system for pet owners and breeders in the near future. Plans are in motion, but many believe that the effort will not be simple.

Canine
Why not cancel the dogs?
Before putting the regulations into effect, we need everyone to be at the table, and that won’t be simple. Convergence will be quite difficult to achieve. Animal welfare should be the first concern for the state. The main guidelines are quite strict. And if they go forward, we won’t be able to take into account the breeders’ means of subsistence,” an official source said. The Kerala Dog Breeders and Trainers Welfare Association, meanwhile, is getting ready to file a petition with the HC to overturn the ruling that forbids the sale or breeding of aggressive or unusual dogs. A stay of the prohibition has been given by the Karnataka High Court.

“Stakeholders were not properly consulted before the prohibition was implemented. Of all the states, Kerala has the most rottweiler population. We’ve made the decision to file a stay request with the High Court. Such directives and regulations would only backfire since people will begin to give up on these breeds, according to the association’s secretary, Satheesh Kumar S.

According to him, the government need to classify dog breeding under animal husbandry, in line with the industries of dairy and poultry. Satheesh said, “We have already given the government a memorandum.”

The highest sum that will be decided upon as a license fee for breeders is Rs 5,000.