(IN): Tail in a spin

[Guest guest]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/tail-in-a-spin/511802/

 

Tail in a spin

Jaskiran KapoorPosted: Sep 03, 2009 at 0540 hrs IST

 

The time for official objection is over. Secretary, Local Government has

been notified, and all that awaits is the final notification. It’s only

after that’s passed that the Chandigarh Registration of Pet Dogs Bye Laws,

2009 will come into action. In the meantime, tails are in a spin, and trust

us, once these are notified, it’s not going to be a dog’s life. Here’s the

hardliner - your pets are in trouble for not only will they bear the brunt

of the rules once passed, they’re as of now caught in a terrible crossfire

between the Municipal Corporation, Pet Lovers Association, vets of the city

and People for Animals.

 

For the uninitiated, here’s a lowdown on the latest brainwave from the

Municipal Corporation: According to the proposed rules, a family cannot keep

more than two pet dogs. You have to get them registered, obtain certificate

for vaccination and metal token for collar, keep them on leash while on a

walk, pick their poop, compensate whoever the pet hurts, and keep them away

from public places like Sukhna, the city Gardens and stop breeding for

commercial purposes.

 

While this has sent pet lovers’ blood pressure shooting up the roof, Medical

Officer, Health Dr G Dewan says that we need to wait till the final

notification. “They might change it,” he assures us. A pet lover himself, he

says these laws have been existing for long, and were passed when a

committee was formed by the Mayor in 2004. “The main contention is regarding

dog breeders, people who have 30 to 35 dogs in a house, and are using them

commercially,” he says. But what about the laws for strays? “Those are

separate,” he says. As PFA frets over the recent activity, vets at Small

Animals Clinicians Association (SACA) voice a concern. “The byelaws lack

definition...pet dogs are always vaccinated and taken care of. It’s the

strays that are dangerous. The Sector 19 dispensary has some 60 to 70 cases

of stray dog bite in a month, and the population is rising. So is the threat

of rabies. Plus, it’s ridiculous to have something like clean up after you

dog...how can the MC differentiate whether it’s a pet dog’s poop or a

stray’s?” a concerned Dr CB Singh, general secretary, SACA questions.

 

“Nowhere in the country are such laws,” shoots Sonu, a dog breeder and

president of Pet Lovers Association. Spearheading the protests against the

byelaws for long now, Sonu’s sent a representation to the Governor, and if

the laws are passed, he plans to take up the case in court. “Chandigarh has

trained pet dogs! And why shouldn’t anyone keep more than two dogs? As for

breeding, we are ready to pay the tax,” he says.

 

Sources direct us to the ‘man behind the byelaws’ and he rubbishes the

loopholes in it. “These laws were amended two years back, we’re just looking

into them again,” says councillor Brig KS Chandpuri (retd). But why? “Well,

we’ve had complaints against dog breeders, that the pups cry and whine all

night, ground floor occupants complain of dog saliva falling on them from

first floor, then people are scared of ferocious pet dogs and want them on a

leash...the byelaws are just a precautionary measure,” he says.

 

Seems like the once pet loving city of Chandigarh is losing all its

patience! However, the bottomline still remains the stray population. To

this a very harassed senior MC official answers on condition of anonymity:

“There is so much of MC bashing that our workers have lost all interest for

work...they feel discouraged despite doing so much. If we take up

sterilisation, PFA comes barging in with Maneka Gandhi and stops it all.

While Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and PFA register

sterilised cases with us, there are complaints of bogus sterilisation. We’ve

had proposals of involving individuals and private practitioners to help

control stray population, but organisations like PFA don’t let us!”

 

“There have been three rabies cases in five years. The stray population has

come down from 15,000 to 5,500, and this has been possible with Animal Birth

Control programme which the PFA started and SPCA is doing it too. The MC on

the other hand wants to give it to private practitioners and pay them Rs

1000 per dog whereas the government rate is Rs 445! We don’t take any money,

and refuse to fall prey to MC’s controlled tactics. Plus, increase in the

stray population is a myth, and hype has just created a fear in people’s

minds. A dog will not bite unless provoked, and we need to have compassion

for all beings,” shoots PFA’s Payal Sodhi. There’s one thing we agree with

her in all this conflict though: for god’s sake, leave the dogs alone!

 

--

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Does Sonu, the breeder and President of the " Pet Lovers Association " know

that he has already broken the law since he is not registered with the

Animal Welfare Board as required by the Dog Control Rules of 2001?

 

No body needs to differentiate between stray dog poop and " owned " dog

poop. If " your " dog is on a leash, you know when it has pooped. Have the

elementary courtesy to scoop it up.

 

The fact also remains that there are many home dogs that are not

vaccinated and no amount of talk by SACA will change that. The sad truth

is that many vetrinarians run puppy mills and mave a large amount of

undeclared wealth from this sordid trade.

 

It is high time that similar laws be passed all over the country and, more

importantly, enforced.

 

S. Chinny Krishna

 

 

> http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/tail-in-a-spin/511802/

>

> Tail in a spin

> Jaskiran KapoorPosted: Sep 03, 2009 at 0540 hrs IST

>

> The time for official objection is over. Secretary, Local Government has

> been notified, and all that awaits is the final notification. It�s only

> after that�s passed that the Chandigarh Registration of Pet Dogs Bye Laws,

> 2009 will come into action. In the meantime, tails are in a spin, and

> trust

> us, once these are notified, it�s not going to be a dog�s life. Here�s

the

> hardliner - your pets are in trouble for not only will they bear the brunt

> of the rules once passed, they�re as of now caught in a terrible crossfire

> between the Municipal Corporation, Pet Lovers Association, vets of the

> city

> and People for Animals.

>

> For the uninitiated, here�s a lowdown on the latest brainwave from the

> Municipal Corporation: According to the proposed rules, a family cannot

> keep

> more than two pet dogs. You have to get them registered, obtain

> certificate

> for vaccination and metal token for collar, keep them on leash while on a

> walk, pick their poop, compensate whoever the pet hurts, and keep them

> away

> from public places like Sukhna, the city Gardens and stop breeding for

> commercial purposes.

>

> While this has sent pet lovers� blood pressure shooting up the roof,

> Medical

> Officer, Health Dr G Dewan says that we need to wait till the final

> notification. �They might change it,� he assures us. A pet lover himself,

> he

> says these laws have been existing for long, and were passed when a

> committee was formed by the Mayor in 2004. �The main contention is

> regarding

> dog breeders, people who have 30 to 35 dogs in a house, and are using them

> commercially,� he says. But what about the laws for strays? �Those are

> separate,� he says. As PFA frets over the recent activity, vets at Small

> Animals Clinicians Association (SACA) voice a concern. �The byelaws lack

> definition...pet dogs are always vaccinated and taken care of. It�s the

> strays that are dangerous. The Sector 19 dispensary has some 60 to 70

> cases

> of stray dog bite in a month, and the population is rising. So is the

> threat

> of rabies. Plus, it�s ridiculous to have something like clean up after you

> dog...how can the MC differentiate whether it�s a pet dog�s poop or a

> stray�s?� a concerned Dr CB Singh, general secretary, SACA questions.

>

> �Nowhere in the country are such laws,� shoots Sonu, a dog breeder and

> president of Pet Lovers Association. Spearheading the protests against the

> byelaws for long now, Sonu�s sent a representation to the Governor, and if

> the laws are passed, he plans to take up the case in court. �Chandigarh

> has

> trained pet dogs! And why shouldn�t anyone keep more than two dogs? As for

> breeding, we are ready to pay the tax,� he says.

>

> Sources direct us to the �man behind the byelaws� and he rubbishes the

> loopholes in it. �These laws were amended two years back, we�re just

> looking

> into them again,� says councillor Brig KS Chandpuri (retd). But why?

> �Well,

> we�ve had complaints against dog breeders, that the pups cry and whine all

> night, ground floor occupants complain of dog saliva falling on them from

> first floor, then people are scared of ferocious pet dogs and want them on

> a

> leash...the byelaws are just a precautionary measure,� he says.

>

> Seems like the once pet loving city of Chandigarh is losing all its

> patience! However, the bottomline still remains the stray population. To

> this a very harassed senior MC official answers on condition of anonymity:

> �There is so much of MC bashing that our workers have lost all interest

> for

> work...they feel discouraged despite doing so much. If we take up

> sterilisation, PFA comes barging in with Maneka Gandhi and stops it all.

> While Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and PFA register

> sterilised cases with us, there are complaints of bogus sterilisation.

> We�ve

> had proposals of involving individuals and private practitioners to help

> control stray population, but organisations like PFA don�t let us!�

>

> �There have been three rabies cases in five years. The stray population

> has

> come down from 15,000 to 5,500, and this has been possible with Animal

> Birth

> Control programme which the PFA started and SPCA is doing it too. The MC

> on

> the other hand wants to give it to private practitioners and pay them Rs

> 1000 per dog whereas the government rate is Rs 445! We don�t take any

> money,

> and refuse to fall prey to MC�s controlled tactics. Plus, increase in the

> stray population is a myth, and hype has just created a fear in people�s

> minds. A dog will not bite unless provoked, and we need to have compassion

> for all beings,� shoots PFA�s Payal Sodhi. There�s one thing we agree

with

> her in all this conflict though: for god�s sake, leave the dogs alone!