Lucknow, Sep 9 (IANS): After repeated attacks by Pitbull dogs, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has renewed its call to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state urban development minister Arvind Kumar Sharma to prohibit the keeping, breeding, and sale of dogs bred for illegal fighting; shut down illegal pet shops and breeders; and crack down on illegal dogfights.

This comes on the heels of other recent pit bull attacks -- in Meerut, where a teenager was critically injured by a pit bull; in Lucknow, where an elderly woman was mauled to death by a pit bull; and in Gurugram, where a woman sustained serious injuries in a pit bull attack -- all within the last two months.

PETA India, in its release, has said that the prohibition be achieved by requiring owners to declare breeds placed on the prohibited list for mandatory sterilisation and government registration within a month of the issuance of the directive as well as by prohibiting any new dogs of these breeds from being bred, kept, or sold after a stipulated date immediately following the completion of that month.

The state has already reportedly shown an interest in prohibiting pit bull, Rottweiler, and mastiff breeds.

PETA India Veterinary Policy Advisor Nithin Krishnegowda said: "This attack on a child is the latest in a series of wake-up calls that if India continues to allow dogs typically used for cruel human exploits such as criminal dogfighting to be bred, more people will get hurt. A prohibition on all breeds used for unlawful fighting is the need of the hour and would protect these dogs from being born only to face cruelty and suffering and protect many humans, too."

In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 yet organised dogfights are prevalent in parts of north India, making pit bull-type dogs and others used in these fights the most abused dog breeds.

Pit bulls are commonly bred to be used in illegal fighting or kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in a lifetime of suffering.

Many endure painful physical mutilations such as ear-cropping -- an illegal process that involves removing part of a dog's ears to prevent another dog from grabbing them during a fight.

These dogs are encouraged to continue fighting until they become exhausted and at least one is seriously injured or dies.