These dogs bite

In 2009,3,840 dog-bite cases were reported in the city. In the last three months,1,086 cases have been reported,with 427 in March alone — these are figures of the Health department and do not include victims who visit private doctors.

According to officials,both stray and pet dogs bite people,though cases involving stray dogs are more in number.

The omnipresent stray dog
The entry of pet dogs may be barred in parks,greenbelts and the Sukhna Lake,but the ban becomes ineffective when it comes to stray dogs.

Whether one is on a trip to the market or a stroll on any road,stray dogs are present everywhere. Often,these dogs chase vehicles,leading to accidents.

The civic body can sterilise only 100 stray dogs a month. At that rate,it will take some time to sterilise the over 8,000 stray dogs in the city.

According to rules,after sterilisation the stray dogs need to be dropped back to the spot from where these were picked.

The MC teams catch these dogs and hand them over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) or the People For Animals (PFA),where these are sterilised.

“The Municipal Corporation does take steps to check the menace,but officials cannot function beyond the written rules. Stray dogs are being sterilised,” Mayor Anu Chatrath said.

Pets go unchecked
The registration of pet dogs does not seem to interest people. Of the estimated 8,000 pet dogs in the city,only 2,021 are registered with the Municipal Corporation.

Under the Dog Bylaws,1960,annual registration of dogs is mandatory. In the process,an owner is required to pay Rs 10 as the registration fee. Subsequently,a collar bearing a metal badge is issued.

According to the rules,those found keeping unregistered dogs are to be fined up to Rs 500. But so far,no resident has been fined for violating this rule.

“When it comes to pet dogs,we need cooperation of residents. They should come forward and register their dogs,” the mayor said.

In 2009,the Municipal Corporation revised the Dog Bylaws,but they are yet to be notified. Once this law comes into force,dog owners would have to pay Rs 200 as registration fees and registration would be compulsory once the dog turns four months old.

At the time of registration,copies of vaccination would need to be submitted. Further,one family would be allowed to keep not more than two dogs. In case the family wants to keep a third dog,Rs 1,000 as annual dog tax would need to be paid.

“In the Municipal Corporation,rules are made only to be broken. While rules are in place for everything,no care is given to implementation,” councillor Dr A P Sanwaria said. “The civic body needs to have an exact figure of the number of pet dogs in the city and work can be outsourced.”

Councillor Brig (retd) K S Chandpuri said: “The aim of making registration of dogs compulsory is to ensure that the dogs are well looked after. The Dog Bylaws need to be notified soon.”