TN govt sets September 30 deadline for dog breeders, shops to register after pit bull attack

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) in a statement said that all pet shops operating in the State must register with it before September 30.

The breeding and selling establishments operating in the State must also register under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, the notification said.

Following this announcement, a few pet shops and establishments that breed and sell dogs have completed the process. But a large number of them are yet to fall in line.

The board has warned of legal action if establishments operate without registration after October 1, added the release.

The board is cracking the whip days after a 48-year-old man was mauled to death by a pitbull in the city. Boarding centres engaged in illegal dog breeding have also been asked to comply with the directive.

Officials said the TNAWB, along with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), will soon conduct inspections in suspected breeding areas to check for banned breeds, including pitbulls and rottweilers, among 11 others. “Those who fail to register will face legal action from October 1,” warned Shruthi Vinodh, member of the TNAWB.

According to the board, Chennai alone has more than 100 illegal breeding centres.

Additionally, pet dogs are openly sold in weekend markets, with the trade generating several crores of rupees every month. The price of a pitbull pup alone ranges between

Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh, depending on the breed purity.

Despite this booming trade, neither the TNAWB nor the GCC maintains proper records of breeding centres or dog sales.

Shruthi Vindoh said that penalty amounts are being finalised. “We are in talks with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department to frame an enforcement plan. For now, local bodies can directly impose fines or file complaints against violators,” she said.

Officials admitted that illegal sales are increasingly happening online, through social media platforms, which makes enforcement even more difficult. Animal rights activists have urged the State to take stronger steps.

Arun Prasanna, founder of People for Cattle in India, said, “Local bodies must extend field-level enforcement and work with NGOs to curb illegal sales. First, there has to be a ban on the entry of pure breeds from foreign countries. More importantly, local bodies and police should book illegal breeders and sellers using provisions already available in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), instead of waiting for new penalties.”