Two days after a pet Rottweiler mauled a four-month-old baby girl leading to her death in Ahmedabad, the Police on Wednesday arrested Dilip Patel, owner of the dog.
The arrest comes following a complaint against him.
Naresh Rajput, head of the Cattle Nuisance Control Department at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, told Vibes of India that this is the first case in Ahmedabad in which the owner has been arrested for an FIR in connection with an attack by a pet dog.
On Monday evening at Radhe Residency near Hathijan Circle, Rishika Dabhi was with her maternal aunt when the Rottweiler broke free from the grasp of the owner’s daughter and attacked the infant. He was on a leash.
The video footage from the closed circuit cameras showed that though the girl tired to free Rishika from the pet dog, it was too late. She was rushed to the hospital where she was succumbed to the injuries. The dog owner’s daughter also suffered bites.
The police have not only arrested the owner, the dog has also been taken away by the AMC. Sources in the AMC said that samples from the dog will be taken to analyse as to why did he become aggressive and attack Rishika.
The residents complained that Patel’s daughter had stepped out with the
rottweiler while talking on the phone. They also complained that this was not the first incident involving the same dog. They claimed to have repeatedly raised concerns about its aggressive behaviour, but no effective action was taken.
The AMC has made it mandatory to register pet dogs and the deadline for registration is May 31. Rajput told Vibes of India that they are contemplating to levy fine/penalty if the dog owners fail to register their pets.
According to sources, there are estimated 50,000 pet dogs in Ahmedabad. However, till date only about 5,500 have been arrested.
Salomi Gupte, one of the leading dog trainers in Ahmedabad, took to social media to say that this unfortunate incident has shaken all the pet parents and her as a dog trainer.
She went on to add that the blame game has already started and we are already blaming the breed. Gupte said that the only one responsible is the pet owner.
Gupte further said that the real killer was the ignorance. She observed that you cannot bring home a dog with powerful instincts and not train them, not learn their behaviour and not understand what they need.
“This wasn’t an “accident”. This was preventable. And I refuse to stay silent. As a certified dog trainer and behaviour expert, I am here to say what needs to be said because silence kills. And knowledge saves,” she said.
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