In the wake of 10 stray dogs killing a boy in Mindanao
TACLOBAN CITY- The Veterinary Office (VCO) of this city has further intensified their campaign against stray dogs in the wake of an incident where a five-year old boy was mauled and killed by at least 10 stray dogs in Isabela City, Basilan.
Dr. Eunice Alcantara, city veterinary officer, said that while there is no case of a person killed by a dog in the city for the past 10 years now, they remain not complacent on their campaign against stray dogs roaming in the streets.
Alcantara said that since Tuesday (June 18), two teams from their office have been roaming around the city to impound, using nets, stray dogs.
These dogs, in turn, are placed at their impounding area where their owners are given three days to claim them with a charge of P2,000.
“That was alarming. That is why we have further step up in our campaign against stray dogs in the city though for the past 10 years or so, we have not recorded of a human case(who died due to a dog bite),” Alcantara said.
It was learned that last year, their office was able to impound 2,400 stray dogs. However, only one percent of these dogs were retrieved by their owners.
What they do, she said, is they killed them through euthanasia and buried in a pit.
“We really have to eliminate these stray dogs because, aside from causing vehicular accident, they bite those in the streets, mostly children,” Alcantara said.
These stray dogs could also transmit diseases like tapeworms.
Based on their estimates, there are more than 24,000 dogs in the city. Their office, however, could not determine as to how many of these dogs are in the streets.
Alcantara issued an appeal to dog owners to be responsible owners and keep their pets inside their houses or put them on a leash or in a cage.
Tacloban has introduced an animal code in 2006 wherein it enumerated the responsibilities of dog owners and their liabilities like shouldering medical expenses once their dogs have bitten someone.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
