Panaji: Every morning, Rocky the rottweiler pads along the scenic pathways of Dona Paula, stopping to nuzzle stray puppies and occasionally breaking into a playful chase after butterflies. Over the past decade, Rocky became something of a local celebrity in his colony, defying stereotypes and winning hearts for his affectionate temperament.“It really depends on how you raise them,” said pet owner, Yogendra Singh.TOI reported on Feb 24 that the directorate of animal husbandry and veterinary services sent a proposal to state govt to ban 5 “ferocious” dog breeds, one of which is the rottweiler. Others are pitbull, malinois, cane corso, and dogo argentino. Pet owners of some of these breeds expressed their concerns on the issue.Among those worried about the proposal is Parra-based Tasha D’Souza, owner of Kaya, a 10-year-old pitbull.“If you’re going to tie them and chain them down and not let them interact with people, then they develop the temperament of an unsocial animal.”Kaya grew up around Tasha’s infant daughter, supervising the baby when she was crawling around at eight months.“I don’t think any breed should be feared or set aside just because of a label,” D’Souza said. “It’s about training and how they’re treated,” she added.According to Sweta Sardesai, who runs PAWS, early socialisation is a crucial factor. Puppies that stay with their mothers and siblings for at least 2 to 3 months learn social cues and appropriate behaviour. Those separated too early may miss essential developmental training.“At PAWS, we’ve seen absolutely adorable rottweilers and we’ve also had very cute-looking poodles and Shih Tzus that are extremely aggressive and needed to be handled with protective gloves,” she said.Sardesai believes that if regulation is required, it should consider climate suitability rather than temperament. “Certain breeds are not meant for Goa’s hot and humid climate, such as Huskies or double-coated dogs. If breeds have to be restricted, it should be from that perspective, not because they are labelled ferocious.”Murugan Appupillai, director of education, Mission Rabies, said past incidents involving certain breeds led to the govt’s strong stance on the matter.“As far as I understand, some of these breeds had issues in the past. If they are going to pose trouble for humans, it may be better to follow what the govt decides.”Minister for animal husbandry and veterinary services, Nilkanth Harlankar, however, said that it may be a while until the Act is implemented. “We cannot put an immediate ban since the matter was stayed at the Supreme Court,” he told TOI.
