The Vietnamese Department of Livestock Production will garner feedback and opinions from officials and competent agencies on the management of dogs, such as pit bulls, to complete a draft circular on tight control over animals.

Duong Tat Thang, head of the department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday that the country had reported fatal pit bull attacks in Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam, and Thanh Hoa Province in the north-central region, urging the department to take action.   

“The ban on and the tight management of raising dogs and cats should be taken into account as fatal attacks linked to pets have affected our society," Thang said.

“The department is drafting a circular on managing other animals, including dogs and cats, as directed by the ministry."

The circular will be based on prevailing laws, international rules, and science to make the management of aggressive dogs effective to minimize deaths, according to the representative of the Department of Livestock Production.

“The circular on the management of other animals, including dogs and cats, will be issued in late 2023 or early 2024,” Thang said.

Thang told a press briefing on the country’s agriculture performance on Sunday that the Laws on Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine stipulate regulations on the tight management of raising dogs and cats.

As per the regulations, the owners of cats and dogs, including pit bulls, must report their pets to the local authorities, vaccinate them against rabies, and muzzle their dogs when taking them out.

Besides, the owners of pets linked to attacks must pay compensation for any injuries in line with the prevailing laws.

Vietnam has reported several deaths and injuries caused by pit bull bites.

A tragedy occurred in Binh Duong Province on May 17, when a pit bull fatally mauled a 82-year-old woman.

She was attacked by the vicious dog while her daughter took the pit bull out of its crate to feed it.

In August last year, a 64-year-old woman in Thanh Hoa Province died at the hospital after she was attacked by her own pit bull.

The woman was feeding her pit bull when the dog bit her.

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