GRAPHIC: Pitbull severely mauls a stray dog with pups while owner watches; The dog remains in critical condition, and netizens demand police action against the owner — Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India (Jan 2025)

Pitbull, a breed of dog now banned in India, has often been in the news for the wrong reasons. The dog, an American breed, has been involved in several aggressive incidents, even resulting in the death of their owners. In the latest incident of aggression, a pitbull was recorded to be mauling a stray dog In Maharashtra's Aurangabad.

Pitbulls descend from the British bull and terrier and were bred in the US as fight dogs. So they are naturally very strong and are believed by many to be aggressive. However, dog trainers insist that it is how the dog is trained by its owners.

The latest incident was recorded in Chetananagar, Aurangabad, where the owner seemed non-perturbed as her pitbull grabbed a stray by its throat in a death grip. She stood there silently and just watched as her dog tried to kill the stray.

When locals tried to hurl stones to get it to leave the stray, the owner just turned back and threatened them. What's even more appalling is that the owner had a leash in her hand but the pitbull was not attached to the leash.

Sharing the video, Instagram handle @streetdogsofbombay demanded action against the pitbull's owner for encouraging such unsafe behaviour. the page also informed its followers that the stray dog that was attacked is a lactating mother with puppies. She is currently in critical condition and has been admitted to the hospital.

Slamming the pitbull owner, netizens, too, demanded police action. "This kind of dog owners are reason we pet parents get blamed every-time. Hope this lady learns her lesson, just feeling sad for the other doggo [sic]," an Instagram user said.

Reacting to the incident, animal welfare organisation Pawsitive Sanctuary said: "If a pitbull kills a human, he/she is being taken away and put under observation. Why no action is being taken now? This is a horrible act, the owner should be jailed for such carelessness or murder of stray dogs. Everything is on video. What more proof do the police need? We really hope some strict action is taken right away."