Despite the presence of more than 15, 000 dogs in Dumaguete City, there are still no confirmed deaths caused by rabies from 2018 up to this date.
Of this population, an estimated 60% or 9, 000 are considered mongrels (askals) while 40% or 6, 000 are considered high breed, which are mostly given special care and attention by their owners.
However, there are cases of stray dogs causing traffic accidents that led to injuries or worse deaths. Ironically, many of the dog bites are inflicted by the pets to their owners.
Hence, Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo instructed City Veterinarian Dr. Lourdes Socorro to accelerate the establishment of the City Dog Pound to serve as temporary shelter for rescued stray and abused dogs as a means to further minimize animal bites.
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City Administrator Atty. Doram Dumalagan led the opening rites of the Dog Pound, Tuesday, in Barangay Camanjac, attended by local government employees and Punong Barangays who will work in unison to rescue the stray dogs and possibly find them a new home.
Dr. Socorro explains that the law prohibits the shooting of stray dogs, instead they will be rescued and brought to the Pound, which has a capacity of about 30 dogs at a time, so that their owners will be able to claim them within 3 days; if not, her office and other volunteers would try to find any interested person to rehome the canine.
However, should their efforts fail, the unclaimed and abandoned dogs will have to be euthanized, especially the sickly ones. At present, some owners are already sending feelers that they will surrender their pets to the Dog Pound.
The City Veterinarian has also reported that in 2018, about 15, 711 dogs have been vaccinated and that the office offers other services such as castration and spay for both cats and dogs alike as means to control their populations. (PIO)
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