Registering pet dog a must but not all aware

Kumar, a resident of Neeti Bagh, has had dogs of different pedigrees for the last 44 years. But he still doesn’t know that registration of pet canine with the municipal authority is a ‘must’ in Delhi. Like Kumar, there are many others who are not aware about this rule.

According to the three civic bodies, in the last one year, owners of only 953 pet dogs registered — 365 in North, 255 in East and 333 in the South corporations.

The corporations say a token for every pet dog would help check practices such as open defecation and raise revenue to fund vet facilities for the pets. But it has failed to enforce or create awareness about the laws.

Section 399 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957 clearly says registration is a must for all domesticated dogs. The section also gives power to the MCD to “detain a dog found in a public place and not been registered or which is not wearing token issued by authority after registration”.

The non-compliance of the Act may invite punitive action, including challan and prosecution of the owner, said a senior official from North MCD.

“I take my two dogs for vaccination but I have never been told by any veterinary doctor (even in MCD hospitals) that their registration is mandatory,” said Aarti Gupta from Green Park.

Many people don’t know pet dogs have to be vaccinated and registration needs to be renewed every year.

“Vaccinations in markets are effective for two to three years. But the rabies virus is in endemic form in Indian environment, says WHO, which makes it a must for pets to be vaccinated every year,” said a veterinary official.

According to Rita Singh, founder of Krishan Ashram, a shelter for 1,000 stray dogs, regular awareness drives, accessibility of veterinary staff and simplifying the procedure will help increase registration numbers.

As of now, the North and East Corporations register pets manually. “All it needs is a vaccination slip from hospital (certifying the pet is vaccinated), a photo and ₹50 as fees to register a dog ,” said the official. The department provides a certificate and ‘dog collar’ made of brass with the registration number on it.

The south corporation made the facility online and charges ₹500. “There is no manual registration. This resulted more dogs being registered, from 200 in 2015-16 to 333 in 2016-17,” said a veterinary official from SDMC.