Xingxing said the incident took place on November 27 at their society, Lodha Eternis at MIDC in Andheri (East). “Our daughter, visiting a friend in building number five, was bitten when the friend’s dog slipped out as the door was left open. The girl’s mother called informing me that it was a mere scratch, but I did not realise the seriousness of the situation till their neighbours called to inform that my daughter had been attacked,” said Xingxing. The Kumars rushed the child to Hiranandani Hospital where she was operated for a deep wound on her left calf.
While the owners offered to cover the medical expenses, this was reportedly the third attack involving their pet. “Despite us urging the family to take corrective measures, including hiring a dog trainer, no visible action has been taken,” said a resident. Following the building society’s insistence, the Kumars filed an FIR against the family on November 30.
Gurpreet Singh Uppal, society secretary, recounted subsequent actions taken to address the situation. “Rupesh approached me seeking assistance over his daughter’s dog bites. He sent distressing images illustrating the severity of the bites. Seeing the parents’ distress and given that this was the third instance of the dog attacking residents, we urged Rupesh to officially file a complaint with the society office and lodge an FIR,” said Singh. Meanwhile, Uppal summoned the dog’s owner, a tenant since April 2023, to the society office. “However, he remained unapologetic and even threatened a counter-FIR,” Uppal added.
Consequences of the bites extend beyond physical trauma, said Kumar. Their daughter, a state-level taekwondo player, has had to miss out on participating in two inter-school competitions, and school for two weeks. “She will require at least another week of recovery before returning to a regular school routine and a couple of more weeks to start playing. We also had to cancel a school trip, for which we had already paid a substantial amount,” said Kumar.
Uppal and the society have reached out to the apartment owner, who lives abroad, to ensure that the tenant’s dog is either kept away from the society premises or steps are taken to evict the tenant. Uppal said: “While we acknowledge the stringent rules set by the Animal Welfare Board that prevents an outright ban on pets in residential complexes, it’s crucial for pet owners to understand co-existence, too.” TOI reached out to the dog owners but they refused to comment.