Chandigarh's canine rules enrage pet lovers

More than two is crowd

The administration has also made it mandatory for owners to register all dogs above the age of four months, considered a unique and possibly the first of such measures in the country.

Breeding of dogs for commercial purposes and trading of dogs within the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation area has been totally banned, a communiqué of the administration said here.

 It said that the Registration of Pet Dogs Bye-laws, 2010, has been invoked to regulate and control pet dogs in the city. Any registered dog found straying in a public place will be seized.  The new bye-laws state that all the dogs above four months have to be registered by the owners with the Municipal Corporation by submitting a form along with a fee of Rs 200 per dog, two recent photographs of the dog and a copy of vaccination certificate.

The registration will be valid throughout the life span of the dog. A family may keep up to a maximum of two dogs, it said.

Pet owners in the city have described the measures as draconian. Chandigarh Kennel  Club secretary H S Aulakh described the situation as ridiculous. “There are more pressing issues in the city than controlling pet dogs. There is the issue of increasing number of four-wheelers per family. It is a nuisance for public. Why cannot the administration tackle such issues on priority basis?" Aulakh, who owns eight dogs, said. “What about stray dogs, who litter at will and are not even vaccinated. What is the administration doing to control them,” said Sanjay Sharma, another dog lover in the city.

“I have four dogs. Now, the administration wants me to keep only two. Should I throw two of  them out just like that,” said another enraged pet lover Parminder Singh.
The new bye-laws require the owner to get the dog vaccinated against rabies, keep it leashed or chained while taking it outside.
Owners cannot take their dogs to any public place or garden as specified by the Municipal Corporation, the bye-laws say.  Moreover, owners shall not allow their dogs to defecate in public places such as residential areas, green belts, parks, streets, etc. Registration for the dogs that have committed three violations will be cancelled.