Pet dog owners in Gurugram seek easier registration process

A group of pet dog owners on Tuesday met officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) at the Sector 42 office and asked them to clarify the registration process and make it easier for pet owners to complete the formalities

A group of pet dog owners on Tuesday met officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) at the Sector 42 office and asked them to clarify the registration process and make it easier for pet owners to complete the formalities.

Gurugram, India-December 11: Dog lovers protested against the rules made by the MCG for keeping dogs as pets at Leisure Valley Park in sector 29 near Huda Market, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, 11 December 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Abhishek Bhel's Story)

The pet dog owners also demanded that the new order of one dog per family must be scrapped on an immediate basis as it was against animal welfare laws and in violation of rules.

The pet dog owners met senior sanitary inspector Rishi Malik and submitted a memorandum on the matter. They said that pet dog owners in Gurugram city were feeling troubled after the MCG issued a notice that pet dogs without registration will be detained.

According to the notice issued by the MCG on December 8, all pet dog owners must get their animals registered and must make sure that their dogs wear a metal token. If a dog is not registered or it is not wearing the metal token in a public place, it will be detained. “Any such dog shall be liable to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of unless it is claimed and the fee in respect thereof is paid within a week,” the notice said.

Sudhir Sachdeva, a pet dog owner, who has been actively engaged with the MCG on the matter, said that they had a very conducive meeting with MCG officials on Tuesday. “We told the MCG officials that the registration process (both online and offline) should be simplified. We also asked the civic body to consider scrapping the ‘one family one pet dog’ rule as it is not as per the laws prescribed by the Government of India as well as the Supreme Court”, he said.

“We also told the MCG officials that words such as ‘destroying’ and ‘disposing of’ should be scrapped from the MCG notice,” Sachdeva added.

The pet dog owners said there is also a need to reduce the registration fee. “We are feeding stray dogs and also rescuing several dogs, which is MCG’s job. In such a situation, the MCG must take a humanitarian approach on this matter,” said a pet dog owner on the condition of anonymity.

Pet dog owners also said that seeking lineage records and import documents from owners was a negative step. They also demanded that community dogs should also be registered and sterilised free of charge.

“The MCG officials heard us patiently and agreed to consider our demands. They will discuss with senior officials and find a solution to the stalemate over registration and keeping of dogs,” Sachdeva added.

When asked about the meeting with pet dog owners and steps being taken to resolve the matter, MCG officials did not respond to repeated phone calls and messages by HT, seeking a response in the matter.