Dog registration cheers Lusaka residents

THE door to door dog registration campaign by the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has cheered Lusaka residents.

In separate interviews with the Daily Nation, one of the residents, Melvin Sakala said the exercise was vital for dog owners to take care of their pets.

Mr Sakala explained that it was important for residents to ensure that their dogs were vaccinated and registered by the local authority, adding that most people just kept dogs without even ensuring that they were vaccinated which was a health hazard.

“I commend LCC for embarking on this exercise which is very important to ensure that all dogs are registered and vaccinated, people need to know that they cannot just keep dogs without following the right procedure.

“LCC must sensitise the public on what is required for one to keep dogs because the vaccination and registration of dogs is also an important step in the control of rabies,” Mr Sakala said.

Another resident, Matthews Sinkala said the move by LCC to register dogs was good, adding that there was need for the local authority to increase sensitisation campaigns.

“We have seen people keeping dogs and failing to take care of them, some look malnourished while others keep more than two dogs which is not right,” Mr Sinkala said. LCC Public Relations Manager George Sichimba said the local authority had embarked on a door to door dog registration campaign as part of dog control measures adding that so far 15 dogs had been registered from the time the exercise started last week.

“The campaign which started last week in Rhodes Park will spread to all townships and peri-urban areas of the city. “According to the Control of Dogs Act Cap 247 of the laws of Zambia, all dogs in the city must be vaccinated and registered by local authorities so that the permitted number of dogs per household is kept.

“The law permits that only two dogs should be kept by a person wishing to keep dogs and these dogs must be well secured during the day and when let free at night their movement must be restricted within the premises of the owner,” Mr Sichimba said.

He advised the residents that anyone who wished to keep more than two dogs should apply to the council stating reasons why they required more than two dogs and permission may or may not be granted depending on the reasons advanced.