In a bid to make Lucknow a pet-friendly city, the LMC has made it mandatory for all dog parents in town to get their furry babies registered as soon as possible. Reportedly, people who fail to register their dogs will be charged with a penalty of ₹5000 and if the fine is not paid at the time of checking, the civic officers will confiscate the pet.
An additional late fee of ₹50 will be levied per day, till the penalty amount is deposited at the LMC office. To avoid this hassle, get your pets registered as per the following procedure:
How to get a license for your pet?
Any person over the age of 18 is eligible to apply for pet dog registration at any of the zonal offices of the LMC or the headquarters in Lalbagh. Dog owners have to ensure that their canines are up to date with their rabies vaccination; a veterinary certificate of the same is a pre-requisite to get the pet registered.
Besides the doctor’s certificate, owners need to submit residential proof, 3 copies of the pet’s latest passport size photo, a copy of the rabies vaccination card and an undertaking from the applicant at the LMC office. A license will be processed within a maximum of 6 working days after the acceptance of proper documents and the applicable fee –
The LMC officials have charted a distinct annual registration fee for dogs based on their breeds; ₹500 for bigger breeds like Dobermann and Labrador, ₹300 for the small ones such as Pomeranian or Spitz and ₹200 for other local indie breeds. The registration is valid only for 1 year. Each family is usually permitted to have only 2 dogs.
Why is it necessary to get your dog registered?
The registration of canines has been identified as a significant step towards building a pet-friendly society, with relevant pet welfare systems and infrastructure. According to Avinash Vishen, a law student, “The registration is being moved with an iron fist, with the penalties, but it ensures order in how people interact with dogs who are registered, not rogue.”
“While nothing can be said with certainty when it comes to the use of collected funds for welfare projects, the registration process will help in keeping a track of the number of pets in the city. This will help greatly when there are cases of lost or abandoned dogs and even theft. The rescue team can simply contact the Nagar Nigam and ask about the whereabouts of the family.”, said Dr Vishakha, the owner of a dog welfare NGO by the name Nawabi Tails Rescue.
The process will further assist in keeping a tally of legally sold dogs in Lucknow, by monitoring the logs of licensed dog traders. If there are more registered dogs than sold, it will alert the LMC about illegal or unlicensed dog trading, she added.
Ideally, the amount collected via registration can be used for setting up animal shelters, investigate cruelty against animals and arrange for emergency animal rescues during natural disasters. It can also be used to make provisions for ambulances for distressed animals and even make animal birth control programmes.
