The argument over owning dogs of aggressive breeds as pets has been reignited after a five-year-old girl was attacked by two Rottweiler dogs at a Chennai park last night, leaving her with serious injuries. The owner of the dogs has been detained by police and a case of negligence has been filed. In the case, two more dog caretakers have been named as accused parties.
The incident happened at a public park in Chennai’s Thousand Lights neighborhood, according to the investigators. They claimed that the owner had abandoned the dogs. It is said that the owner did not step in until the girl’s parents hurried to save her and sounded the alarm after the dogs attacked the young girl. The father of the girl is a park security guard.
“We have arrested the owner and registered a case against two others who take care of the dogs,” said senior police officer Shekhar Deshmukh. A CCTV footage from the park show the two dogs attacking the girl.
The five-year-old girl, identified as Sudaksha, is being treated at a private hospital. Police sources said the dog owner had not sterilised the Rottweilers.
The tragic incident comes at a time when attacks by pets from ferocious breeds have sparked a deabte on whether such animals should be kept as pets in residential neighbourhoods.
The Centre has asked states to ban the sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs, including Pitbull Terrier, American Bulldog, Rottweiler and Mastiffs. The directive added that those who already have these breeds as pets must sterilise them at once.