Muzzling of pet dogs in public places not mandatory, Chennai Corporation tells Madras High Court

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) told the Madras High Court on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, that it is not mandatory for pet owners to muzzle their dogs when they take them to public places for walks or other purposes and that the civic body has issued only an advisory to this effect.

Appearing before Justice V. Lakshminarayanan on a writ petition filed by NGO ‘Cattle People in India’ complaining that breeds like Bulldogs cannot be muzzled, Gulf Cooperation Council lawyer A. Arun Babu said no pet parent will be fined for not muzzling their dogs.

The lawyer, assisted by Gulf Cooperation Council Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) J. Kamal Hussain, said that for the protection of the public, it has been made mandatory for pet dogs to be leashed only in public places and those who let their pets loose without a leash will be fined ₹ 500.

The court also informed that 82 thousand online applications have been received so far for the licensing of pet dogs within the provincial borders and 35 thousand 348 pets have been vaccinated and certified. The deadline for obtaining a license is flexible, the lawyer said. It has now been extended until December 7.

When the judge wanted to know whether the implantation of microchips into the body of pets was only a one-time measure or should be done annually, the GCC explained that microchipping should be done only once and that it would be used for easy identification of details about the pets.

On how to deal with animal lovers and NGOs that provide temporary shelter to several animals until they are adopted by others, the Gulf Cooperation Council deputy said that they can register the animals and transfer this registration to the adopted parents without paying any fee.

No restrictions on pet ownership

The GCC also clarified that there are no restrictions on the number of pets an individual can own, regardless of breed, and that the web portal’s inability to allow an individual to apply for more than four is merely a technical glitch that has now been fixed.

When a woman lawyer complained that the ‘Indian mixed race’ option was not available on the portal, Mr. Arun Babu said that although the Gulf Cooperation Council lists various foreign and indigenous races on its web portal, the Indian mixed race is left out, but can always be registered under the ‘others’ category.

The CVO also told the court that any pet owner or NGO facing any issue regarding licensing or overcrowding of vaccination and registration centers can convey their complaints to him and an appropriate summons will be taken from his office on all such matters.

Recording the submissions made by the IRB lawyer and the CVO, the judge closed the writ petition after observing that the grievances raised by the NGO had been largely addressed.