‘Dog trainers and dog traders believe that this rule serves no purpose because it does not change dog behaviour’.
NEW DELHI: The national capital of Delhi has made it mandatory for all pet dogs to be registered in the city in response to the increasing number of dog bite incidents. However, only a few are aware of this rule as there is a lack of advertisement, and some choose not to register their dogs without any purpose.
Sameer, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, has a German Shepherd. He is unaware of any information on dog registration. When The Sunday Guardian approached him to seek information on his dog’s registration, he said, “I am unaware of this. Now that I know, I will do it later. There is no point anyway, my dog has never bitten anyone.”
Similarly, another resident of Naraina, Pragya, has a Golden Retriever. She wasn’t aware of such a rule, and she believed most residents, including her neighbour who has a pet dog, are not aware of any registration rules. However, several residents living in the posh complexes have received a notice from the Resident Welfare Association regarding their pet dog registration. However, such registrations are an absolute nuisance, as claimed by residents, as they simply do not have enough spare time for their pets and are simply dependent on their helpers.
Speaking about the difficulty of such a law, Malvika, the owner of Wagging Tale Foundation, told this paper, “Though everything is online, it will be slightly difficult for those who keep 4-5 pet dogs.”
Meanwhile, dog trainers and dog traders believe that this rule serves no purpose because it does not change dog behaviour. This law may serve some purposes, like finding lost dogs or keeping a check on cruelty to animals, but it will certainly not monitor any behaviour of pet dogs. Amardeep, a dog trainer, told this paper, “Owners are to be trained properly. Not every dog is aggressive but some owners do not take their dogs out for walks and keep them confined within four walls. As a result, dogs become aggressive. In such a scenario, how can dog registration monitor the behaviour of all the pet dogs in Delhi?”
Speaking about controlling illegal dog breeding, a dog trader, who wishes to remain anonymous told this paper, “People are not willing to pay money to get their dogs registered. The registration will help to prepare a database on the number of pet dogs in Delhi, but this will create no impact on illegal dog breeding. Furthermore, if an owner has several pet dogs, they may use the same documents for all of them. Therefore, it makes no sense to register their dogs online.”
The Sunday Guardian also approached SMCD to seek information on whether migrant owners also needed to register their pet dogs. An MCD officer said, “All dogs are required to be registered.” However, the officers do not keep any check on the number of dogs registered in the area but stated, “If an unregistered pet dog bites, the owner will be punished.”
The MCD has clearly instructed that all pets must be registered under Section 399 of the Delhi Municipal Act of 1957. If an unregistered dog is located in a public area, the section also allows the MCD authority to detain a dog. The registration processing fee is Rs 500.