Pet inspection drive: Walkers with dogs ‘interrupted’, followed home, allege residents

The inspections were carried out on Saturday in Ashiana and LDA Colony, where residents objected to the manner in which the drive was carried out

Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials ruffled some feathers during a drive to check for unlicensed pets taken up on Saturday. The inspections were carried out in Ashiana and LDA Colony, where residents objected to the manner in which the drive was carried out.

(For representation)

Many said pet owners were interrupted during their morning walks by officials, who even followed them home to check for more pets. Condemning the abrupt and intrusive nature of the inspections, residents argued that LMC should rather focus on organising camps in localities where it would be easier for pet owners to obtain the licenses.

Rajeev Kumar, who lives in LDA Colony, said, “There should be a more respectful approach to enforcing pet regulations. People must be persuaded not coerced for making licenses. The need is to spread awareness not to handle the issue with iron hand.”

Anand Nigam, a pet lover, said, “Instead of stopping them during morning walks and following them into their homes, LMC should focus on organizing camps in each locality. This will encourage residents to obtain licenses for their pets.”

Arguing the need for stricter pet regulations, additional municipal commissioner Arvind Rao said, “In 2024-25, only 2,246 dog licenses have been issued in Lucknow so far. This is a significant decline in trend when 5,600 licenses were issued in 2023-24 and 8,200 the year before. LMC estimates that the city has over 10,000 pet dogs. So we decided to start a drive in the areas where people come out with their pets in maximum numbers.”

The process of obtaining a dog license in Lucknow requires proof of rabies vaccination and a declaration that the owner will comply with LMC’s Dog Control By-laws of 2003. Additionally, the current regulations allow only two dogs per 200 square meters of property.

Rao added while the licence fee for foreign breed dogs was ₹1,000, it was ₹200 for indigenous breeds.