Council opposes the rule that no dog should be used for mating after the age of eight years.ย
The Madras High Court has granted time till July 23 for the Tamil Nadu government to finalise its dog breeding policy aimed at ensuring ethical breeding, conserve native germplasm, prevent introduction of diseases from foreign countries, introduce licensing regime for breeders and monitor them.
Justice Anita Sumanth granted the time after senior counsel R. Srinivas submitted a list of amendments suggested by Kennel Club of India (KCI) to the draft policy and Additional Government Pleader Vadivelu Deenadayalan said the government was open to considering those suggestions.
โLet the parties liaise with one another, prior to the next date of hearing, in order that all items are thoroughly discussed and what needs to be included be decided. A finalised version of the dog breeding policy shall be placed before this court on the next date of hearing,โ the judge ordered.
In its suggestions, the KCI said, the draft rules state that applicants for breeder licence from Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) must submit a licence issued by the local body concerned and also a no objection certificate for the premises but do not prescribe the qualifications of the licensing authority.
โThis is not a job that can be entrusted to persons who are not qualified to evaluate breeding stock or facilities required to do so,โ the council said and objected to random neutering of male dogs and spaying of bitches if their offsprings were found to be suffering from genetic defects.
โIt is important to ascertain by appropriate tests whether a particular trait is genetic in nature before arriving at any conslusions. Random neutering and sterilizations without a scientific basis will not only be detrimental to the health of the animal but also amount to cruelty,โ KCI said.
Further, referring to the draft policy stating that karyotyping should be done before engaging a dog for breeding and that the animal should be sterilized if it shows any chromosomal abnormality or defect, the council said, it was not clear whether the TNAWB would provide facilities for such testing.
The council also objected to a condition imposed under the draft policy that only normal, healthy and matured dogs of both gender and those that had reached eighteen months of age should be bred after being certified as healthy by a veterinary practitioner at least 10 days prior to breeding.
โSome breeds, especially toy breeds, reach sexual maturity earlier than 18 months so the condition related to breeding should be breed/size specific,โ the council said and added that there could also not be an absolute rule that no female dog should be exploited to produce litters in two consecutive breeding seasons.
โFemales of certain breeds come into estrus only once a year. Therefore, this absolute rule for all breeds will cause injustice,โ the council said and opposed the other rule that no dog should be used for mating after the age of eight years. It said some breeds live for over 18 years and healthy males could be used even after eight years.
The council also batted for allowing tail docking and ear cropping for certain breeds since it caters to their well being and also because technology had advanced making the process very easy and painless.
