The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, requested the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) to suspend the ongoing mandatory microchipping of dogs in the city until such time that the prescribed implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the said purpose shall had been crafted.
Further, city legislators also requested the Committee on Laws to review pertinent provisions of Ordinance No. 60, series of 2020 that imposed the mandatory microchipping of dogs in the city taking into consideration the issues and concerns raised by hundreds of dog owners who alleged that implanting of microchips in dogs would have a negative effect to the health of man’s best friend like having tumors, among other health concerns.
City Veterinarian Dr. Bridget Piok said that the microchip implant will help in strengthening the city government’s campaign for responsible ownership aside from empowering barangay officials to monitor the dogs in their areas of jurisdiction.
Dog owners belonging to the Baguio Against Mandatory Microchipping recognized that microchipping has its own advantages because when a dog is lost, it will be easy for the owner to locate his lost pet because the needed information is programmed in the chip.
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However, the responsible dog owners expressed fear that some dogs, particularly small breeds and young pups, may have adverse reactions to microchipping as studies abroad showed that microchips implanted under the animal’s skin can cause serious health problems even leading to death.
According to them, although proponents of pet microchipping claim that the risk is negligible, it is still a risk that they refuse to take primarily if the life of their own pet is at stake.
The pet owners also raised concern on the mandatory imposition of microchipping as the same is an alleged infringement of every pet owner’s right to decide for their pets, thus, responsible pet owners who are keeping their pets safely inside their homes or properties should be presented with another non-invasive option to have their pets registered with the government.
Under the ordinance, pet owners who fail to have their dogs registered shall be fined P2,000 aside from the payment of the P300 purposely for the microchips for the dogs.
The pet owners also inquired on how concerned authorities would be able to regularly monitor each household in the city who owns a pet, particularly those whose dogs live inside their homes.
For them, they stated that dogs can give birth twice a year, thus, it would be improbable for authorities to monitor the compliance of the people to the provisions of the ordinance.
The pet owners also proposed the necessary changes to the ordinance, one of which is the 3-day grace period for pet owners to claim their impounded pets, as the same is allegedly inhuman and that impounded dogs deserve to be re-united with their owners or gain a fighting chance to find a loving family through the prescribed processes of adoption.
The pet owners stipulated that 3 days is reportedly too short to entitle animals their chance of redemption, thus, all impounded dogs that have no claimant in 3 days should be spayed and given a chance for adoption after the grace period for claimants.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
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