Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) officers seized Baku, an eight-year-old black dog, from his home on 28 August and took him to an AFCD animal management centre for investigation. The department said Baku was a pit bull terrier cross classified as a fighting dog, and that his owner could not produce a valid fighting-dog licence. It said prosecution would follow if there was sufficient evidence of an offence.
The case has left Baku’s breed and licensing status in dispute while he is being held for investigation. His owner, Mr Lai, adopted him from the animal welfare group Home for Strays about four years ago. The sources describe Baku’s breed variously as including an American Staffordshire terrier and a pit bull terrier cross.
Mr Lai and Home for Strays said Baku was microchipped and neutered when he was adopted. They said the formal dog licence issued by the AFCD at the time identified his breed as “Mongrel”, rather than as a fighting dog. The available accounts do not establish whether that licence replaced, or was separate from, any fighting-dog licence requirement cited by the department.
Home for Strays said Baku had no record of attacking people or animals, while Mr Lai described him as gentle and said he had never shown aggression. These are statements by the owner and the animal welfare group and have not been independently verified in the supplied accounts.
Home for Strays also said the AFCD wrote to registered veterinarians and updated its website on 28 August, expanding the definition of pit bull terriers to include American Staffordshire terriers and American bully dogs. The group said this definition was not recorded in the current Dangerous Dogs Regulation. The legal basis and precise content of the alleged update remain unclear from the supplied information.
The group criticised the seizure as potentially discriminatory towards people who keep such dogs and warned that it could cause public fear or lead to more animals being abandoned. It called on the AFCD to release Baku, allow Mr Lai to visit him and disclose the dog’s physical and mental condition.
The AFCD’s stated position is that Baku is being detained for further investigation and that legal action may be taken if there is enough evidence. The supplied accounts do not say what veterinary, breed or legal evidence supports the classification, whether Baku has been assessed, whether Mr Lai may visit him, or whether the investigation will end in prosecution or the dog’s release.