A pet pit bull who mauled 82-year-old Sushila Tripathi to death in Lucknow was reunited with its owner on Thursday, 28 July.
The dog was kept under observation at the Nagar Nigam's welfare centre for 14 days, and will now be sent for training to a behaviourist. Presently, Tripathi has been granted conditional custody.
Visuals accessed by The Quint showed Brownie, the pit bull, with Amit.
Brownie was taken to an animal shelter by the city municipal corporation on 14 July for observation after it attacked Tripathi, a resident of the Qaiserbagh area of Lucknow, when she was on the roof of her house.
Abhinav Verma, animal welfare officer at the Lucknow Municipal Corporation said that after the 14-day observation period of the dog got over, its owner Amit Tripathi called for custody.
Verma said:
"He [Tripathi] was given custody with a condition that he will take the dog for training. Amit has not disclosed the name and location of the trainer.”
Speaking on Brownie’s behaviour during the observation period, Verma added, “The dog was absolutely normal during her stay at the welfare centre. She didn't display any abnormal behaviour or aggression.”
The Incident
Tripathi was mauled to death by the pit bull in Lucknow on 12 July. She was attacked by her dog when she was on the roof of her house that morning, the police said.
She was found in a pool of blood by the domestic help, who then informed her son, police added.
"I had gone to work. When I came to know about this, I came home but by then the incident had already happened with my mother," said Amit.
Denied treatment at the first hospital that Sushila Tripathi was rushed to, she was "conscious" at the second hospital she was taken to, he added. A few hours later, however, Tripathi succumbed to her injuries.
In a video that emerged two days later, Amit was seen carrying Brownie towards a van, which took the dog to an animal shelter. He told reporters that his decision to single-handedly carry his pet to the van was to show everyone that his pet "is not aggressive."
Her bereaved son Amit told Aaj Tak that the dog was usually “triggered by doorbells.”
He had said, “Since I was not home… It’s just my guess that someone rang the doorbell and Brownie got triggered. My mother used to take care of her meals and other routine things.”
The family has a female labrador too, and Brownie spent most of its time on their terrace.
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