Ernakulam considers limits on pet dogs as authorities plan wider controls

Authorities in Ernakulam district are considering limiting the number of pet dogs kept by each household to two or three, according to district panchayat chairperson K.G. Radhakrishnan. Radhakrishnan said discussions were under way with stakeholders to determine a feasible limit.

Separate rules would apply to breeders, while the licensing system for dog owners would also be strengthened. The proposals form part of a wider stray-dog management programme. The plans include sterilisation and vaccination, licensing breeders, and licensing and microchipping pet dogs.

Officials said the programme would also involve designated feeding centres and shelters. The discussion follows a recent stray-dog attack in Angamaly in which 10 people were bitten. Seena Gokulan, chairperson of Kochi Corporation’s health standing committee, said officials had observed an increase in owners abandoning dogs when the animals became ill.

Gokulan said a tracking system, potentially involving microchips, could help prevent abandonment. She said a licence was already mandatory for people keeping pets at home. Government Polytechnic College in Kalamassery has separately reported problems with stray dogs on its campus.

Faculty member Julie Chandra said dogs often loitered there and could become aggressive. She described an incident in which a faculty member arriving at night was cornered by several dogs. The college has filed complaints with the municipality and was preparing another, she said.