Unregistered pets, aggressive strays to reach MC dog pound

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 4

Aggressive stray dogs and pet dogs that are not registered or are found violating bylaws will be kept at a Municipal Corporation dog pound, which will come up at Raipur Kalan here in the coming months.

The dog pound will have a capacity of keeping 300-350 canines in kennels. “Aggressive dogs will be temporarily kept under observation here to find out whether they are rabid. After a few days of procedure, they will be left at the place from where they were picked,” said an official of the MC wing concerned.

“Besides, if it is found that a pet dog is not registered with the MC or its owner is violating norms, the animal will be kept at the dog pound. There is also a legal provision for auctioning such a dog in case of a major violation. However, we generally would not go that far as dogs often eat and stay comfortably with their owner. So, we will ask the owner to ensure adhering to the norms like vaccination, proper dog care and registration,” he added.

The state-of-the-art pound will also have a dog care unit where injured canines will be treated. It will also house a laboratory, a hospital and an operation theatre for dogs.

The centre, which is being built on about 2 to 2.50 acres, will have a facility of sterilising about 1,000 stray dogs. The MC is presently using the facilities of the Animal Husbandry Department, Sector 38-C, and the SPCA, Sector 38.

An engineering department official said the work on the pound started a few months ago and would be completed in the coming season. About 75 per cent work had been completed. Its construction was earlier delayed due to shortage of funds.

The MC has sterilised 16,300 dogs since 2015, when sterilisation was first started in the city. A census conducted by the UT Animal Husbandry Department in 2018 pegged the number of stray dogs at 12,920. About 25 to 30 dog-bite cases on an average are reported from the city every day.

Injured to be treated too

• The state-of-the-art pound will also have a dog care unit where injured canines will be treated. It will also house a laboratory, a hospital and an operation theatre for dogs.
• The centre, which is being built on 2 to 2.50 acres, will have a facility of sterilising about 1,000 stray dogs.
• An engineering department official said the work on the pound was nearing completion. Its construction was earlier delayed due to a shortage of funds.