Pitbull owners abandoning dogs since Lucknow attack case

New Delhi: Several owners of pitbull dogs in Delhi-NCR have been "abandoning" their pet since the news of a woman being mauled by her canine in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow have surfaced.

At least five to six pitbulls were left by their owners outside an NGO named House of Stray Animals in Noida in the last two months, its founder Sanjay Mohapatra said.

He stated that they have received at least 200 phone calls from pitbull owners from all across the country, especially after the Lucknow incident in which a pet American Pitbull Terrier attacked an 82-year-old woman, who had eventually succumbed to her injuries.

"People have been tying their dogs at the pillars and gates of our NGO in the midnights. We have received at least 200 phone calls from such owners who fear keeping their pitbulls at home," he said.

He said leaving them on roads will not solve the problem, adding that this breed should be "trained instead".

"Abandoning a pit-bull on the streets will be even more dangerous. Why can't the owners train these dogs? It's because they do not see these pets as a responsibility, they see it as owning something fancy in the household," he said.

He said his NGO have been conducting awareness campaigns to ensure people do not abandon them.