3-month jail if you keep ‘ferocious’ animal as pet: Goa passes bill, CM citing Rottweilers and Pitbull dog breeds

The government can declare any ferocious animal as pet illegal; meanwhile, owners are commanded to report any such animals they have and have them sterilised within 60 days. Referencing cases of alleged Rottweiler and Pitbull dog bites on children, the Goa assembly passed an enactment criminalising those persons who, in violation of the rules, breed or domesticate animals so declared, subjecting offenders to a term of imprisonment of up to three months.

While the Goa Animal Breeding and Domestication (Regulation and Compensation) Bill, 2025 was being introduced, the Opposition members, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai and Congress legislator Carlos Alvares Ferreira, insisted on a detailed discussion. However, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stood his ground that the move was brought in the interest of the safety of people.

The bill has granted the state government, through notification in the official gazette, the power to declare any breed or class of animals as ferocious. Once so notified, these animals shall be prohibited from breeding, keeping or import into the state, PTI reported. It mandates that owners of

The government can declare any ferocious animal as pet illegal; meanwhile, owners are commanded to report any such animals they have and have them sterilised within 60 days. Referencing cases of alleged Rottweiler and Pitbull dog bites on children, the Goa assembly passed an enactment criminalising those persons who, in violation of the rules, breed or domesticate animals so declared, subjecting offenders to a term of imprisonment of up to three months.

It states that the owners of such animals should report them to the Directorate of Animal Husbandry within 30 days of such notification, and sterilise the animal within 60 days. Dating from the moment the act becomes law after the governor signs it, violating it attracts a minimum jail term of 15 days that can extend to three months, with a fine of ₹50,000 and compulsory community service for keeping a ferocious animal as pet.

The bill states that in certain cases, courts may allow community service in lieu of jail term. Injured parties or families of those killed by way of such animals are also compensated by the instrument. Claims for such compensation are to be filed within six months of the occurrence, and the competent authority shall resolve such claims within three months, according to the PTI.The Director of Animal Husbandry will keep a register of such ferocious animals.

In 2024, the central government banned the import, sale, and breeding of 23 “ferocious” dog breeds, including Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Russian Shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf dogs, Canario, Akb dog, Moscow Guard dog, and Cane Corso, which are considered to be a “threat to human life”.