The Kochi Corporation will facilitate the statutory registration of pet dogs owned by the city residents. The civic body will verify whether the owners of the dogs have facilities for keeping the canines before issuing them registration certificates.
All that the owners need to do is to submit an application for registration at the circle offices of the Corporation in their area along with a copy of their Aadhar card and the vaccination certificate of the animal. A ₹5 court fee stamp needs to be affixed on the application. Later, the Health Inspectors of the local body will visit the houses to verify that there are sufficient facilities, said T. K. Ashraf, chairman of the Health Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation.
The animals need not be taken to the offices of the local body for registration as the civic officials will come to the houses for inspection, he explained.
The drive comes in the wake of poor response from dog owners for registering canines and obtaining certificates.
Though the 20th Livestock Census has estimated that there are 90,304 pet dogs in the district, registration has been obtained for only less than 300 animals. The number of street dogs in the district was estimated to be 14,155. The city administration plans to register all dogs that are kept in the city. The civic body will also generate a database on the number of pet dogs in the city through a survey. Kudumbashree will be engaged for the purpose, said Mr. Ashraf.
Vaccination drive
The recruitment of veterinarians and animal catchers for the anti-rabies vaccination drive will be held this week. A meeting to make the veterinary clinics and animal care centres involved in the anti-rabies vaccination programme will be convened shortly. Those running these institutions will also be asked to encourage their clients to get pet animals registered. The process of identification of 30 locations for holding the vaccination drive will be completed shortly, he said.
