No one bats an eyelid at the sight of a Siberian husky on Bengaluru’s roads. It can even be bought from e-commerce portals.
But with maximum temperatures hitting record highs this summer, veterinarians in the city have been inundated with calls from worried owners who are learning the hard way that these dogs are not suited to Indian summer.
But there is some relief for the pets: the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Wednesday issued a notification stopping the import of dogs to be used for breeding.
The notification allows Customs officials to crack down on people trying to purchase breeds from online portals, a move that organisations like the Humane Society International/India, and People for Animals, have welcomed.
In Bengaluru, animal activists hope that it will spell the end of purchase of popular but unsuitable breeds such as the St. Bernard, Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute.
“Just yesterday, I saw a St. Bernard near Tippasandra, suffering in the heat,” said software engineer Reshma Das. She said that there were plenty of hardy stray dogs that could be adopted instead.
But people spend lakhs on expensive breeds for their “exotic” flavour, which more often then not, double as status symbols. “A lot of people import dogs just for the sake of the title of an import, not knowing the genetic faults they could bring into the country,” said C.V. Franklin, head trainer at a dog training academy in Bengaluru. “As a trainer, the most disturbing aspect I have seen is how dogs are bought with no concern for their temperament.”
Most veterinarians, too, have welcomed the move. “Every region has a typical climate pattern, and such pets are suitable for that pattern only,” said veterinarian Dheeraj Kashyap of a pet clinic in Indiranagar
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Bloodlines could be affected, say breeders
Breeders from some of the top kennels in Karnataka are worried that the ban will affect bloodlines. There is nothing stopping breeders from breeding dogs within the same gene pool. Bengaluru-based breeder Santosh Kumar feels that over a period of time, the ban will have a negative effect on the health of dogs. “In around five years, dogs will be bred too close to their bloodlines. If there are fresh dogs coming in, there are always new bloodlines coming in,” said Mr. Kumar.
A reputed breeder from the Mysore Kennel Club told The Hindu that a selective ban on some breeds not suited for Indian climates would have been more useful. “For instance, maintaining a St. Bernard in this weather is impossible, as it was meant to thrive in cold climates and the same goes for mastiffs,” said the breeder, who did not wish to be named.
There are also fears that the ban will give an impetuous to the illegal import of dogs. “While there has been a ban on people without licence importing dogs, the same number of dogs can enter the country through illegal routes,” the breeder added.
