New ordinance calls for responsible dog-ownership for rabies-free Leyte

The members of the Leyte Provincial Board recently passed an ordinance that calls for the promotion of responsible dog-ownership for the control and elimination of rabies in the province.

 

The passage of the ordinance authored by First District of Leyte Board Member Ryan Lawrence Tiu is in time with the observance of Rabies Awareness and Control Month in March and is in accordance with the Philippine Rabies Control Program vision to declare the Philippines rabies-free by the year 2020.  

The ordinance, “Responsible dog and feline ownership and rabies control and elimination ordinance of Leyte” is the third ordinance authored by BM Tiu that was approved by members of the provincial board since he took over the post vacated by the untimely demise of his father BM Atty. Roque Tiu, last August, 2012.

The First District Board Member said that the ordinance seeks to promote humane treatment of dogs and felines which will redound to the control and elimination of rabies in the province of Leyte.

Calling for responsible pet ownership, the ordinance  provides that owners should have their pets vaccinated against rabies  and must maintain registration card which contains necessary information related to the vaccinations conducted for accurate record, and see to it that pets always have proper veterinary care.

The ordinance also seeks for the establishment and maintenance of veterinarian-client patient relationship; provide preventive and therapeutic health care for the dogs or cats under their care in consultation.

Owners are also ordered to observe proper waste disposal of pets’ waste, noise control, not allowing their pets to go astray and provide exercise and mental stimulation appropriate to the pets depending on their age, breed and health status.

BM Tiu said that if owners can no longer provide care to their pets, they can turn them over to a public or private animal care facility; have their pets be adopted by a qualified adopting owner or entrust their pets to a veterinarian willing to provide alternative care or to existing animal welfare and protection group.

The ordinance also mandates local government units to strictly enforce impounding activities to eliminate stray dogs, allocate funds to augment the implementation of the national rabies prevention and control program and ensure that Republic Act 8484 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 is properly implemented.

Electrocution and other brutal force or inhumane means of killing pets are also prohibited by the Ordinance.

Those who would violate the ordinance could be penalized with P500 up to P3,500 and six month imprisonment, depending on the discretion of the court.

Strict implementation of the ordinance will fast-track the attainment of Leyte as a rabies-free province, BM Tiu said.