Pet Registrations Increase Dramatically in Chennai After GCC Warning

Chennai: Having warned the public that non-registration of house pets would incur hefty penalties, the GCC has noted a big spike in the number of pets registered across the city. The spike is a result of a few factors; the GCC’s warning was followed by the re-introduction of an online dog registration scheme, which has helped boost numbers significantly.

Earlier in May, the GCC issued only 330 licenses, whereas the number of licenses issued in the two weeks of June have crossed 5,000 already. Throughout the city, 697 pet dogs have been registered from Adyar zone, 636 in Teynampet, 478 in Ambattur, 408 in Perungudi and 373 in Alandur. The registration spike is attributed to the GCC’s registration drive, as well as increased awareness after an unrestrained rottweiler attacked a young child on May 6.

While a spike in registrations has been observed, the number of registrations from northern neighbourhoods like Thiruvottiyur, where only 151 pets have been registered, and less than 300 in Madhavaram, Tondiarpet and Royapuram. Manali had the lowest registration with only 79 pets registered.

The GCC’s veterinary officer J Kamal Hussain said, “Only when a pet is registered will we know the dog count. Further, it helps in ascertaining breed status, rabies vaccine status and health history of dogs,” he said. GCC plans to boost social media advertising to spread awareness.

Activists maintain that pet registrations and breed specific details are important. “If we know rabies vaccination status, we can instantly identify if a dog is rabid or not,” said Arun Prasanna, People for Cattle in India. He also said the licensing drive must be expanded to corporations such as Madurai and Trichy as well. “For Chennai too, 5,000 is a very small number. As per our estimates, there could at least be 80,000 dogs,” he said.