Gurugram civic body hires private agency to register pet dogs

The agency will store ownership and vaccination data using microchips that will be inserted into the animals

As part of its work to streamline the process of registration of pet dogs, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has appointed a private agency, which officials said, will store ownership and vaccination data using microchips that will be inserted into the animals.

The agency has been asked to hold door-to-door campaigns at such houses for the registration process. (FILE)

The agency has been asked to hold door-to-door campaigns at such houses for the registration process, according to officials. A metal locket will also be issued to owners to fix it on the dog’s collar, they said.

Dr Ashish Singla, chief medical officer, MCG said that the private agency hired for registration of dogs will issue a metal token and a pet licence card, and also tag the animal with a microchip by injecting it subcutaneously into the skin. “This microchip will contain ownership and tracking data and a database of all the animals will be maintained by the private agency. The owners will also be issued a pet license by the agency. We request all the owners and RWAs to come forward and start getting their dogs registered on priority,” he said.

The insertion of microchips, a radio-frequency identification transponder that carries a unique identification number, in animals is a common practice taken up especially to locate them through information of their owners stored in the device. According to experts, microchipping animals is a simple procedure and the risks are minimal.

This is the first time that the civic body has hired a private firm, Pet Pulse, for pet registration. Dr Amit Tripathi, managing director, Pet Pulse, said that they will start holding camps from December 1.

“The work of form distribution has started to RWAs who will distribute it to pet parents. After filling the forms, we will organise a microchipping camp following which the corporation will issue licence numbers and a pet license card and metal token bearing licence number will be issued,” he said.

According to MCG rules regarding pet registration, owners of dogs brought within the jurisdiction of the corporation on or before April 1, or within seven days of bringing the animal in the jurisdiction of MCG, will have to get the dog registered. On registration, the owner shall be supplied with a metal token with name and address of the owner engraved on it, which the owner shall to fix to the dog’s collar at all times. The registration and metal token shall hold good for a period of one year from April 1 or from the date of registration, the MCG said.

MCG medical officer Dr Singla said that purpose of appointing the private agency for registration of pets is to streamline the registration process and make it easier for owners to access it. “The agency will approach the residents in condominiums and plotted colonies create awareness about rules for keeping pets, rules regarding prevention and cruelty of animals and similar issues,” he said.

The private agency has also been asked to maintain a database of pets for three years from the commencement of the project.

Singla said that vaccination, behavioural issues, keeping a poop bag, keeping a leash and similar issues will also be taken up with the help of NGOs and other private agencies.

Chetna Joshi, a Gurugram-based animal welfare activist, said that microchipping is carried out primarily in private domain by pet owners who are going abroad, and they need paperwork for their pets, which is stored in a database. “In Gurugram, there is no centralised cloud-based database where the information stored in a microchip can be matched. Who will track the dogs and how will microchips help is not clear. This exercise appears to be futile. MCG should first bring a municipal act which defines pet ownership and rights in line with the central act and thereafter take these steps,” she said.