The Punjab government has made it mandatory for residents in both urban and rural areas to register their pet dogs, issuing an official form to facilitate the process.
Under the new directives, individuals keeping dogs at homes, farmhouses, or in residential neighbourhoods are required to submit complete details of their pets. The registration form seeks information such as the owner’s name, the dog’s breed, and other relevant particulars.
Sources add that vaccination of pet dogs has also been made compulsory, with owners instructed to coordinate with livestock departments to fulfil this requirement.
Additionally, the government has banned allowing dogs to roam freely in public spaces, directing owners to keep them properly restrained at all times.
Authorities have cautioned that violations of these rules will lead to strict legal action. The measures aim to enhance public safety, particularly for children.
Lahore reports record rise in stray dog bite cases
Recently, Lahore has seen an upsetting upsurge in incidents of stray dog bites that has raised serious public health concerns.
As per hospital records 1,409 dog bite cases have been reported at ten government hospitals from last month to date with women and children among the affected.
Officials said that Mayo Hospital alone recorded 46 dog bite cases during this month and of the victims brought to the hospital, 13 were women.
Health authorities have expressed concern over the growing number of cases and stressed the need for urgent preventive measures across the city.
The Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz has taken notice of the rising dog bite cases and asked the competent authorities to report.
Earlier, it was reported as many as 300 dog-bite cases were reported at the Indus Hospital in Korangi during the first five days of the New Year, that shows a worrying increase in attacks by stray canines in several neighbourhoods of the metropolis.
According to Manager of the Rabies Prevention Clinic at Indus Hospital, Aftab Gauhar, the figures of the dog bite cases are alarming.
The hospital shared images of children attacked by stray dogs. Faces disfigured for life, eyes damaged, lips torn away, the pictures were too graphic to go in print.
He said a visible increase in stray dog attacks has been recorded in areas including Korangi, Landhi, Baldia, Hub Chowki and Gadap Town.
