City codifies ordinances on dogs

BAGUIO CITY – (10 February 2021) – The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance codifying legislation on dogs with certain amendments to the Responsible Dog Ownership Ordinance of the city.

Local legislators stated that the responsibilities of dog owners shall be confined in acquiring and maintaining dogs only if they are capable of providing the care necessary to provide for the needs of the dog; submit their dogs for mandatory registration and regular vaccination, and maintain updated records; provide dogs with grooming, adequate food and clean shelter; maintain control of their dog with the use of a lace when in public places; take all measures to prevent a dog from being a stray or nuisance; report any dog biting incident and take the appropriate precaution and assist the dog bite victims and shoulder all expenses incurred on the victim’s injuries.

Under the proposed ordinance, no person shall own or keep any dog 3 months of age without first having been registered with the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) or at the barangay where a certificate of registration shall be issued upon the registration of the dog.

The council stipulated that the issued registration certificate shall contain the identity number of the dog, which shall be permanent or until the lifetime of the dog, except in cases of transfer of ownership.

According to the council, all dogs must be vaccinated by a duly licensed veterinarian or a trained vaccinator under direct veterinary supervision. If done by a private veterinarian, the owner of the vaccinated dog shall submit records or proof of vaccination signed by a duly licensed veterinarian upon registration.

On the other hand, private veterinary clinics and practicing veterinarians shall submit to the CVAO monthly rabies vaccination reports for the same to be included in the database of vaccination.

The mandatory registration of the dog may be done through micro-chipping, use of a dog tag and other means as determined to be safe and reliable by the CVAO such as the use of radio frequency identification among others and that the choice of the method of registration shall be at the option of the dog owner.

The council tasked the CVAO to maintain an updated database of all the information require, which shall include if feasible among others, name, address, contact number, email address and other vital information pertaining to the registered dog owner; name, breed, sex, color and other pertinent information on the registered dog; date of rabies and expiration; vaccine used and name of the veterinarian.

The ordinance prohibits for the owner or keeper of any dog to allow the same to go lose in any place outside the premises of the owner’s residence and that any dog found outside the premises shall be on a lace or any other device or held by a person which controls the dog, otherwise, it shall be considered as a stray dog and shall be ceased by any authorized personnel

The council said that a driver who accidentally runs over a god in any public street, including subdivision roads, shall not be held liable for any damages caused to the dog. – Dexter See