The City Veterinary Office is calling on dog lovers that there are 18 dogs available for adoption.
“They are the impounded dogs that were not claimed by their owners,” said Dr. Mico Takinan, veterinarian at the CVO.
Based on an ordinance, dog owners are given three days from the time the animal is impounded to claim their pets. After the period, the animal will be declared eligible for adoption.
He said an interested adopter is screened to find out if the person is qualified to adopt based on capacity to care for the dog. The person must not be below 18 years old.
Whenever they pose on social media that there are dogs for adoption, Takinan said they are glad that several interested persons usually come to their office to adopt them.
The adopter is required to submit a barangay certification that there is no objection to the adoption, have a cage where they can place the dogs during the familiarization period, show a valid identification card, and pay an adoption fee of P650.
Prior to adoption, the dog is registered and issued a certificate by the city veterinary office.
“The certificate of registration bears the name of (the) new owner, the barangay where the owner lives and where the dog will stay, contact number of the owner, birthday of the owner, the kind or breed of the dog, color and gender,” Takinan said.
He said the adopter is required to put a tag on the dog bearing its name, address, and the contact number of the owner.
He said the city prohibits dogs from roaming the streets. This is the reason the CVO impounds dogs that are left astray.
“This is for public health and safety and to avoid dog bite. It is also a nuisance because they leave poop on the streets and they scatter garbage brought out by residents on waste collection days,” Takinan said.
He said dog owners are expected to be responsible pet owners and must see to it that their pets are confined within the residential compound or on a leash at the owner’s premises.
Takinan said the city government is mulling on having a registry of dogs to ensure they are regularly allotted anti-rabies vaccines through the help of the Department of Agriculture.
An average of 40,000 to 50,000 dogs are vaccinated yearly for free as part of the initiative towards making the city rabies-free by 2030.
“This is a year-round activity of our office, free vaccination until supply lasts,” Takinan said. – PNA
