German Shepherd attack sparks fear, Ahmedabad society moves to ban large dogs

On November 6, in less than six months, a second case of a pet dog attacking children was reported from Ahmedabad where the German Shepherd pet dog – owned by Papaben alias Sangeeta Palaniswami Vaniyar, residing at Sharanam Elegance in New Maninagar area – attacked two children within the society premises.

Society’s chairman Kiritsinh Jadeja told The Indian Express the society has enforced a rule where it is mandatory for every pet owner to obtain registration and permission from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and submit a copy to the society office. “In fact, the society is also intending to hold a general body meeting to discuss banning big dog breeds such as German Shepherds and allow only small pets like Pugs or Pomeranian,” Jadeja said.

German Shepherd dogs are the second highest among 18,776 total dogs registered in Ahmedabad after Labradors. The dog was later taken to an AMC-run dog shelter in the Dani Limda area.

“The owner of the German Shepherd visits the shelter home twice – morning and evening – everyday to feed their pet,” an official at the Dani Limda shelter home told The Indian Express.

A day after the incident in Ahmedabad, the Supreme Court on November 7 directed states and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots and railway stations, and relocate them “to a designated shelter” after due sterilisation.

A security guard present at the Maninagar society, where the incident took place, described the atmosphere as tense and fearful. “People are now scared of such large dogs and want owners to be more responsible,” he said.

According to Jadeja, the same German Shepherd had attacked another person two-and-a-half years ago. Despite promising to take precautions, the owner failed to act responsibly, leading to this second attack. “She had assured us that she would make the dog wear a muzzle and ensure safety, but that never happened,” the chairman added.

The child was rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident for treatment and medical dressing. He has since begun a series of vaccinations against rabies and, as of today, his parents took him for the second dose.

With the dog removed, children in the society are said to now feel more comfortable playing outside.

Residents remain divided, with some supporting allowing pets with tighter supervision and others wanting an outright ban on large breeds. The chairman added that with pet ownership comes responsibility, and negligence cannot be overlooked.

(Drishti Bhatt & Jyoti Chauhan are interns at the Ahmedabad office of The Indian Express)