Bhubaneswar dog bite case reaches court, canine taken to care centre

Ten days after an American Akita breed pet dog bit a schoolboy at Tapaswini Colony of the State Capital, the canine was taken to a dog care centre on Wednesday.

Tension continued in the colony as the dog owner initially refused to send the dog to a shelter home and requested to solve the matter amicably. However, local residents were adamant on sending the dog away from the colony.

Meanwhile, the dog owners have moved court against the decision to send their pet to dog care shelter. The dog will now be kept in the care centre until the matter is decided by the court.

Speaking to the media, the dog owner’s brother Badri Patnaik said, “We are planning to take the dog out of the colony. My elder brother is Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University. In his absence, my sister-in-law stays here with the pet dog and their son. It is not admissible to harass them when the house owner is absent. To make sure that no one in the colony is hurt due to the dog, I have decided to take the dog.”

“I’m deeply saddened for the victim’s family. I have no complaints against them,” he added.

On the other hand, tension again gripped the colony after an animal activist visited the dog owner and claimed the dog was provoked and attacked the boy after the cycle fell on it. 

“We are concerned about the boy and his family. But, being an animal rights activist, I understand the feeling of the dog. These people are among those who run their vehicles on street dogs. They attack people who feed dogs. The dog is well-trained and will not do any harm,” the animal activist said. 

However, the colony residents claimed this wasn’t the first time the dog had attacked someone.

The child’s parents, on the other hand, claimed their boy was in trauma after the incident. He is scared to step out of the house.

Worth mentioning, Sucheta Khatoi’s son Arjun sustained serious injuries after being attacked by the pet dog of their neighbour Shrabani Patnaik on November 6.

The eight-year-old suffered wounds on his back and stomach while riding his bicycle at their colony in Patia area within the Infocity police limits.

Arjun underwent surgery and received 10 stitches along with 30 injections followed by anti-rabies vaccines after the incident. 

On the other hand, a case has been registered against the dog owner under Section 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).