Dyed stray puppies being sold as expensive breeds in Mumbai

Puppies of stray dogs are being sold as expensive canine breeds to animal lovers after colouring them, police said Monday.

A complaint in this connection has been filed at the Worli police station and process is on to register an offence, an official said.

Animal rights activists and NGOs suspect this is part of a big racket.

Reports of stray puppies being sold for high price after colouring them were received from Crawford market in South Mumbai and some other places in the city, they said.

The issue was highlighted by animal activists and the Bombay Animal Rights, an NGO.

The NGO recently got information about selling of stray puppies for Rs 18,000 to 20,000 each after dyeing them with shades of well-known hair colouring brands like Garnier.

The puppies with originally fawn colouring were painted black and presented for sale as 'Beagle', a popular and expensive canine breed, an animal rights activist said.

'Beagle' is a bread of small hound that is similar in appearance